Make Believe 2: In Love and War
by Rose Stetson
Summary: Sequel to "Make Believe". Now, in a relationship, Sam and Jack have to find a way to keep the "fires" burning while remaining as discreet as they desire while Sam traipses around the galaxy.
1. Ex Deus Machina

**In Love and War**

Sam pushed the dolly loaded with several of the boxes which held the files of her work down the corridor as she saw one of the members of the maintenance crew. "Coming through!" She called.

There was no response, and she moved to dodge the sergeant. The dolly began to move on its own, and she tried to control it as a strong pair of arms helped to avert the crisis. "Whoa, Sam, hey, come on, let me, let me give you a hand." Daniel said, taking over as the dolly driver.

Sam released a relieved sigh as he pushed the dolly down the corridor to her lab. "Thank you. So, uh, General Landry briefed me on the circumstances surrounding our mystery Jaffa."

"Yeah, I think I've got something on that."

She raised an eyebrow as he handed her the newspaper he'd been carrying. "Farrow-Marshall?" She asked as she saw the headline.

"Yeah, you, uh, familiar with them?" He asked, looking over at her.

"They're an aeronautics firm headquartered in Bethesda. The Department of Defense is their biggest client." She said, seriously.

As she'd been considering whether or not to accept the tour on the Prometheus, she'd considered turning in her "birds" as Jack called them, and moving to northern Virginia to be with Jack.

"Yeah, turns out that their plant in Virginia employed about eight hundred residents of Edison until it closed down six months ago. Now, it's located just outside of town and about a mile and a half from where our dead Jaffa turned up."

"Really?" She asked, surprised.

They finally reached her lab, which was filled with partially unpacked boxes and crates. "Ah…pardon the mess." She said, somewhat sheepishly. "I'm still unpacking."

She walked over to her computer and began typing as Daniel came up behind her. "Uh…Farrow-Marshall. Let's see what they've been up to recently."

"Here we go." She said as she read the headline that their search had given them. "Their chief financial officer went missing yesterday morning."

"Interesting timing." Daniel murmured.

"Yeah. According to his wife, he left for a business meeting in Richmond, Virginia and never came back." She said, quickly scanning the article.

"Where is Edison in relation to Richmond?" He asked, looking at her.

"Don't know, but we can find out," she said, quickly typing in the search parameters into the computer.

"Hello!" Daniel cried, looking at the map she pulled up.

"It's thirty minutes away." She said, reading the estimations on the website.

"Coincidence?" Daniel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think not." Sam finished, looking at her friend.

A trip to the east coast was in order, Sam realized. And though she'd be there on official business, maybe she could fly into DC and meet Jack for coffee or dinner if she had time. This mission was one she was volunteering for.

-

"Sir," Sam greeted as she and Daniel entered the General's office.

"Colonel Carter! Welcome back to the SGC." He said with a grin. "Your lab is in order, I take it?"

"As much as it can be with the move," she admitted. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Oh?"

"Farrow-Marshall is an aeronautics firm headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland." Daniel began. "They had a plant a mile and a half from Edison, but they closed it down six months ago."

"So?"

"Their Chief Financial Officer went missing over the weekend." Sam finished.

"And you want to go and look into it."

"Yes, sir." Sam and Daniel announced in tandem.

"I'll arrange transport." Landry said, nodding. "You'll leave as soon as you can get packed."

"Thank you, sir." They said, nodding.

"Dismissed."

They walked out of his office, and Daniel looked over at Sam. "You gonna call Jack or should I?"

Sam's sheepish smile made him chuckle.

"I take it that you're going to call him."

"If you don't mind..."

Daniel laughed. "Nah. Go ahead."

She grinned as she continued down to her lab where she picked up the phone and dialed quickly.

"O'Neill."

"Hello...sir."

"Carter?"

"I'm going to be in the DC area in a couple of hours trying to get to the bottom of a case involving a dead Jaffa found in northern Virginia and a missing CFO from Bethesda."

"I hoped they'd send you to look into it."

"I volunteered."

"Excellent!"

"Daniel's coming too."

"D'oh."

She laughed. "I'll call you when I have more information, okay?"

"Sure thing." He said, seriously. "And, Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

"I will." She assured. "Love you."

"Me too."

"I'll see you in a few hours."

"Looking forward to it," he said, and she could hear the grin in his voice.

-

Wearing her dress-uniform, Sam walked off the plane with Daniel behind her as Jack stood in his own blues, waiting for them. She grinned as she walked up to him, reminding him a great deal of the confident Captain he'd met nine years earlier in the Briefing Room before the second Abydos mission. "Hi, Jack," she greeted, warmly.

"Hi, Sam."

"Jack," Daniel said with a grin.

"Daniel."

"Thanks for meeting us, Jack." Sam said with a grateful smile.

"I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed." He said, leading them down the corridors of the airport. "And take you to Edison."

"You're coming with us?"

"I want to look at this supposedly shut down plant before I send you on your individual assignments."

"Assignments?" Daniel asked, curiously.

"You're talking to the wife. Sam, you're talking to the executives at Farrow-Marshall."

"Sounds like a good plan." Sam said, nodding.

"Come on, I've got a car waiting." Jack said, leading them to the curb where the suburban sat.

Daniel slipped into the back, and Jack helped Sam into the front seat before he took the driver's seat.

"It's nice to work with you again, Jack." Daniel admitted with a smile.

"Backatcha, Danny."

Sam smiled softly as she looked over at Jack. "He's right. It's really nice to work with you again."

With a tender smile, he reached a hand over to hers, squeezing it gently before he pulled his hand back so that he could begin the two-hour drive to Richmond.

-

"How are you settling in?" Jack asked, looking over at Sam as they heard Daniel's snores from the backseat an hour and a half later.

"I'm settling in," she said, noncommittally.

"Find a place yet?"

"Actually, Daniel had a place open up in his building, and so I went over and checked it out. I'm waiting to hear from the super."

"You put me down as a reference, right?"

"Of course, Jack," she teased. "I always put my boyfriends on my reference list."

He chuckled. "How about you? How's this Ori situation affecting your work?"

"Uh...I've got more meetings..."

"Like I thought you would," she mused.

"Yeah. But if this whole thing wraps itself up, I'll be in Colorado Springs this weekend."

She grinned. "That would be great."

"You gonna have some time off?"

"Well, I'm not going to be in the mission rotation until after I get settled in, and...that can take...a while..." She winked.

"You like being back in your lab, don't you?"

"I have to admit, it's like coming home."

"I knew it would be." He said, driving down the interstate.

She hesitated for a moment before she looked over at him. "I almost applied for a job with Farrow-Marshall."

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"About the time I was being considered for the Prometheus project, I wondered what the options would be if I were to, uh, leave the Air Force and move to northern Virginia."

"Really?"

"What can I say? I like to do more than just work with you," she winked.

"You were going to give up the Air Force for me?"

She inhaled. "Do you remember the time two years ago when I was on the Prometheus, and we were stuck in the dust cloud?"

"Yeah. Worst few weeks of my life." She swallowed as she remembered the hallucinations she'd endured. "You...or rather, a hallucination of you...came to visit me."

"And?"

"And I asked you if things would be different if I quit the Air Force or if it was just an excuse..."

"I would never ask you to do that," he said, soberly.

A small half-smile graced her lips as she looked over. "I know."

"I'm glad you didn't give it up, Sam." He said, seriously.

"Even though I'm back on SG-1?"

"Doesn't put us back in the same chain of command, so we're fine." He said, seriously.

"But..."

"Make a left-hand turn in point-five miles," the GPS voice announced as they approached a large empty warehouse-like complex.

She sighed as she ended their conversation. A moment passed before she turned around and gently shook Daniel.

"We're here," she announced.

"Mph."

"Come on, Danny." Jack said, parking the car in the empty parking lot.

"M...kay..." He said, opening his eyes.

Sam smiled as she looked over at Daniel with a chuckle before they all piled out of the car.

"Hey, Carter," Jack said, looking at her from the other side of the car.

"Yes?" She asked, looking over.

He offered her a hand gun. "Just in case."

She tensed as she nodded. "After you," she said, allowing him to take the lead.

He motioned for her to go around the opposite side of the building, taking Daniel with her, as they looked through the windows of the abandoned plant.

"What do you think?" Jack asked as he met back up with Sam.

"It's abandoned," she admitted. "But I wonder if it was really abandoned six months ago like they said. I saw fresh tire tracks."

"We should talk to the locals," Daniel said, seriously.

"Yes, I think we should." Jack agreed, nodding. "And I think we should start at the local diner."

"Diner?" Sam asked, curiously.

"All small towns have a diner of some sort, right?"

"Uh..." Daniel stammered.

"We can certainly find out." Sam said, nodding.

"And...this is official business, so it's on the Air Force dime."

Sam grinned appreciatively.

-

"Hm, pie." Jack said as he inhaled the aroma of the apple pie that had been set in front of him.

"Whipped cream?" The waitress asked, holding a can in her hand.

"Can you really have pie without it?" Jack asked with a wink.

Sam chuckled as she inhaled the aroma of her omelet and hashbrowns.

"Anything for a man in uniform." The waitress said with a wink of her own.

"Well, if this isn't Southern Hospitality," Jack murmured as she left.

Sam kicked his foot under the table.

"What?" He asked, looking over at her.

She raised an eyebrow as his words sunk in. "Oh..." He said with an embarrassed smile. "Right..."

"I don't want to know," Daniel muttered, closing his eyes.

"Why didn't you ask her about the plant?" Sam asked, looking over at her boyfriend.

"Uh...because she was flirting with me..."

She rolled her eyes.

The waitress walked past, and Daniel waved his hand. "Uh, excuse me, Ma'am?"

She turned. "Yes?"

"Can I get some ketchup for these fries?" He asked, pointing to the fries on his plate. "

Oh, yeah. Sure." She said, reaching to another table and retrieving a bottle for him. "There's usually a bottle on each table."

"It happens," he said with a charming smile and a small shrug.

"Yeah, it does." She chuckled as she turned to leave.

"Hey, when we were on our way into town, we saw that plant..." Jack said, catching her attention again. "It looked awfully empty."

"It was officially abandoned six months ago." The waitress said with an uncomfortable smile.

"Officially?" Sam prodded, gently.

The young woman bit the inside of her cheek. "My boyfriend and I went...by there...a few nights ago...there were trucks driving in and out."

"Really..." Jack said, sharing a look with Sam who tensed somewhat seriously.

"What were you doing up there?" Sam asked, looking at the waitress.

"Uh...nothing..." She stammered. "We were just..."

"Ah." Sam said, sharing a discreet look with Jack.

"We got it." Jack said, nodding.

"Are we going to get in trouble?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, you're fine."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for your service and your help." Sam said with a grateful smile.

"No problem," the waitress said, managing a shaky smile as she returned to wait on the other tables.

Sam looked at Jack and Daniel. "I think I have a few questions to ask the executives of Farrow-Marshall."

"Yeah." Jack sighed as he took a sip of his coffee.

-

Sam paced around the conference room, awaiting the arrival of the executives. A tall, blond woman entered the room. "Colonel Carter? Charlotte Mayfield, V.P. here at Farrow-Marshall. How can I help you?"

Sam shook her hand, and Charlotte motioned for Sam to take a seat.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions about your plant in Virginia." She said, soberly.

"It was shut down six months ago." Charlotte said, seriously.

"Officially, yes." Sam said, evenly.

"But we went by to check it out, and it looked like it had been cleaned out very recently."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at." Charlotte said, shaking her head.

"Some of the residents of Edison claim they saw trucks traveling to and from the plant a couple of nights ago." Sam continued.

"They're mistaken."

"So you're saying no one's been in the area for several months?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I can't speak for the locals, but certainly no one from Farrow-Marshall would have any reason to go there." Charlotte said with an insincere smile.

"How about Richmond?"

Charlotte shook her head with a blank expression.

"Anyone from Farrow-Marshall have reason to go there?" Sam asked, returning Charlotte's insincere smile.

Charlotte merely blinked noncommittally.

"According to his wife, Alex Jameson was on his way to Richmond, Virginia when he went missing." Sam informed.

"We've cooperated with the local authorities on Mr. Jameson's disappearance. You may want to consult with them." Charlotte said, seriously.

"Who was Mr. Jameson meeting with that day?" Sam pressed.

"I'm sorry. Company policy prevents me from discussing that with you." She said, soberly.

"Your CFO is missing." Sam said, leaning in to look at the vice-president. "Now I would think that you would want to do everything within your power to help find him."

"Oh, I do." She said, seriously. "As I said, we're cooperating with the authorities. Now if you'll excuse me, I-I think we're done here."

She walked to the door as two security officers appeared outside the door. "These gentlemen will show you out. If you have any further questions, feel free to fax them to the head office."

Sam stood as Charlotte left, and the security detail entered the room.

Only a few moments later, Sam was out in the parking lot.

"How'd it go?" Jack asked as she walked in.

"Well, she didn't say anything I didn't expect her to say." She said, seriously.

"But..."

"She got nervous when I mentioned Jameson's wife and what she'd said about his plans."

"Nice work, Carter." Jack said with a grin.

"Thank you, sir." She said with a small wink.

"I guess you're headed back to the SGC?"

"Most likely." She said, nodding.

"Well, let's go pick Daniel up." He said with a small sigh.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have any "us" time." She said, softly.

"Hey, we had a few moments." He said, starting the car. "The little while when Daniel was asleep, the foot kick under the table..."

She chuckled.

"And we have right now..."

She looked before she gently leaned in and kissed him. "I love you."

"Love you too." He said with a smile as he drove out of the parking lot

**-**

Only a few hours later, Sam walked down the spiral staircase with Teal'c, Mitchell, Daniel and Landry, explaining the situation to him.

"You're telling me a member of the Jaffa High Council claims that Ba'al has been here on Earth for the better part of the last nine months?" Landry asked, incredulously.

"Yes, sir." Mitchell said, nodding.

"Is there any chance she may be right?"

"My information suggests that Ba'al has been hiding in the Archeva system. He has been sighted there as recently as a week ago." Teal'c said, soberly.

"So the council member is either lying or she's a victim of bad intelligence." Landry said, looking over at the team.

"Not all bad, sir." Sam said, shaking her head. "They knew enough to look for Ba'al at a Trust-operated facility. If he were on Earth, that would be the best place to start."

"If the Jaffa genuinely believe Ba'al to be on Earth, they will continue to search for him." Teal'c warned.

"Well, that's obviously unacceptable." Landry said, seriously. "Tell the council we've begun our own investigation. If he's here, we'll find him."

"It would not be in Gerak's best interest to allow that to happen." Teal'c said, seriously.

"Why?" Landry asked, looking at Teal'c, curiously.

"Ba'al's capture would be a big moral victory as well as a huge political gain for whoever brings him in." Daniel said, looking over.

"Should Gerak be successful, he would win the hearts of many undecided Jaffa, thereby assuring undisputed influence over the council." Teal'c explained.

"So all we have to do is find Ba'al before they do." Mitchell said, optimistically.

"Yeah, but Gerak has a head start. The fact that the company's CFO went missing around the same time that the Jaffa was killed…" Sam said, swallowing.

"You think Jameson was at the plant when they came looking for Ba'al?" Landry queried.

"In which case, he may well have been captured." Sam said, tensing soberly.

**-**

Sam pinched the bridge of her nose somewhat tiredly with a small sigh as they were beamed to the coordinates of the surveillance van.

"You okay?" Daniel asked from where he stood beside her.

"Going back and forth between the SGC and DC has kind of taken its toll..." She said with a shrug.

"And not getting to see Jack for longer than the time it took me to take a nap?" He asked, knowingly.

"It is somewhat torturous to be in the same city with him, and not have a chance to at least say hi face-to-face." She said with a small sigh.

He nodded slowly before the door to the van opened. Daniel got in, and Sam followed. "Agent Barrett, thanks for the lift." He said, offering his hand in greeting.

Barrett shook Daniel's hand with a smile. "Well, I couldn't exactly have you guys catching a cab to the stakeout, now, could I?"

"So, what's the latest?" Sam asked, getting down to business.

"Well, one of our agents following the Jameson leads spotted an individual matching Ba'al's description at the Gilbride Hotel on Fifth Street about an hour ago. Looks like we got him."

The surveillance van moved, and Sam looked down at her cell phone several times. Daniel caught her several times with a small smile, and she'd given him a sheepish smile in return each time.

"Something wrong?" Barrett asked, looking over at her.

"Uh...no." She said, shaking her head. "Just...can't remember if I put my phone on vibrate..."

"Ah." She put the cell phone away as they arrived the hotel.

"What's the situation?" Barrett asked his agents.

"They're still inside, Room 1602. All the exits are covered. We're just waiting for the green light."

"Dr. Jackson, you go with Williams." He said, looking over at Daniel.

Daniel stood as he nodded, retrieving a gun and placing it in the waistband of his pants so that it was hidden by his jacket. Williams checked and reholstered his gun before they each exited.

Sam walked over to where Daniel had been, pressing a few buttons as she began to watch the screens. She discreetly looked over as Barrett sat near her. He cleared his throat. "How've you been?"

"Pretty good." She said, looking over. "You?"

"Yeah, pretty good…can't complain." He said, shrugging.

Sam managed an awkward smile, looking over at Barrett before she looked back at the equipment which she checked carefully. "What's new?"

"Uh, let's see…" Sam said, thinking back for a moment. "I was leading R&D for a while there."

"Well, I never figured you the type to settle for a desk job." Barrett chuckled.

"I needed something with more flexible hours." Sam said, nonchalantly. "Janet's adopted daughter, Cassie, was going through a hard time."

"Oh, I see."

"Spent some time on the _Prometheus_, away on deep space reconnaissance." She said, continuing.

"Uh-huh."

She grinned. "Ooo. Helped stop a dangerous new enemy from gaining a foothold in the galaxy."

"Yes, I heard about that…" He said, nodding. "How's Pete?"

She tensed slightly. "We broke up."

"Really?" He asked, brightening before he sobered. "Uh…I mean, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Oh, it was the best thing for both of us." She said, shrugging.

Why was he asking all of these questions? She asked herself as she returned to her work.

"So, you're single again?" He asked after a moment.

That's why...

She managed an uncomfortable smile. "Not exactly."

She certainly wasn't going to tell Barrett about Jack.

**-**

Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and she turned an apologetic smile to Barrett. "Carter."

"You're on a stakeout looking for Ba'al, aren't you?"

"Yes." She said, puzzled.

"He's not there."

"What?" She asked, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Check the TV."

She quickly turned on the television, and her face fell as she realized she was looking at Ba'al.

Barrett got onto the radio instantly. "Abort. All agents, abort."

"What's going on?" Daniel's voice crackled into the radio. "He's not inside. If we move now, we risk compromising the operation." "Barrett, you'd better be damn sure about this." Daniel warned. "We're sure. Let them go, and come to the van."

Sam sighed as she looked at Barrett before she finished her conversation. "Thanks for the call, sir."

"No problem, Carter. Be safe."

"Will do."'

She finally closed the phone. "That was General O'Neill."

"I figured it was something like that."

Barrett's cell phone rang, and he answered it. "Barrett..."

"Sam?" Daniel asked, entering the surveillance van.

"It wasn't him." Sam said, seriously.

"How do you know?" He asked, curiously.

"Because he can't be in two places at once." She said, soberly. "Ba'al is across town right now doing a live television interview."

"What?" Sam turned on the television.

"Thank you, that's a very good question." Ba'al said into the microphone. "My acquisition of Hammel Technologies and its subsidiaries is just a first step in a long-range venture that will ultimately see a-a consolidation and a-a streamlining of what is presently a dissolute market. No doubt, most of you have never heard of me before today. Well, I can assure you that over the next few months, you will all get to know me very well, and I look forward to it."

Sam turned off the television, clenching her jaw as she shared a look with Daniel.

"How'd you hear about it?"

"General O'Neill called."

"Now what?"

"I'm calling General Landry to find out what to do next." She said, retrieving her cell phone.

She dialed a few numbers before she put the phone to her ear. "General Landry's office, please."

She waited for a moment. "Colonel, what's going on?"

"It was a decoy, sir." She said with a sigh. "The real Ba'al went public in a nationally televised interview."

"And you want to know what to do?"

"Yes, sir."

"Stay put while I talk to the Pentagon."

"Yes, sir." She said, nodding. She closed the phone. "Our orders are to stay put for the time being."

"You've got to be kidding me." Barrett cried, upset. "Come on, we know where he is. We've got him."

"Yes, Ba'al has made it easier for us to pinpoint his location." Sam said with a sigh. "But unfortunately, by going public, he's made it more difficult for us to take him down quickly and covertly. We make a move against him now, and we risk a media circus. Unless, of course, you feel like giving the American people a Stargate primer."

"There's also the little matter of a naquadah bomb sitting somewhere in the continental United States." Daniel said, nodding.

"Yeah, okay, okay. We'll stay." Barrett sighed.

"The General's consulting with the Pentagon to determine what our next move should be." Sam said, trying not to wish that she was the one corresponding with the Pentagon right now.

-

Sam stood beside Daniel at the video terminal in the surveillance van.

"I've had Walter patch in Col. Carter and Dr. Jackson." Landry looked up at the screen. "Everybody up to date?"

"We have a cruise missile prepped with symbiote poison and ready to launch on your command." Sam said, seriously.

"General, I recommend we launch now. It may be the last chance we get." Mitchell said, looking over at Landry.

"What if he isn't bluffing about the naquadah bomb?" Daniel asked, looking at the team over the video feed.

"Then we'll have stopped him before he has the chance to plant any more."

"We'll have to come up with a cover story." Sam said, soberly.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Mitchell said seriously.

"We must strike now before Ba'al realizes his strategy has backfired." Teal'c announced.

"And the council?" Landry asked, looking over at Teal'c. Teal'c had a wicked smile on his face.

"I merely promised he would be delivered if captured. If he is killed, then there is no difficulty."

-

Sam's cell phone rang, and she answered it. "Carter."

"We just got a message from Ba'al. The bomb's in the Halcyon Tower in Seattle."

"Good that we know now."

"I'll have the Prometheus beam you up, and then I want Barrett to release the symbiote poison. Send Daniel in after the missile hits to make sure we have a confirmed kill."

"Yes, sir. Understood, sir." She said, seriously.

She hung up the phone as she reached for the shelving to help her keep her balance. "Agent Barrett, have your men tighten their perimeter around the compound. No one in or out. Daniel, once the missile hits, you'll have to go in and make sure we have a confirmed kill."

"Why, where are you going to be?" Daniel asked, curiously.

"Seattle."

"How the hell are you going to get there?" Barrett asked, surprised.

Sam smiled as the Asgard beam took her to the building.

"Colonel, we've been expecting you."

"What's the situation?" She asked, getting down to business. She sighed softly. "Just another day at the office," she murmured.

"Ma'am?"

"Nothing." Sam said, shaking her head. Time to foil yet another of Ba'al's plans for intergalactic domination.

-

_Apologies for the formatting issues earlier!_


	2. Weekend

Sam stood outside the Gate with two cups of coffee in her hands as she waited for Jack to walk off his plane. She felt nervous. Almost as nervous as she had been when they had first met, though she never let him know it.

She'd wanted to meet Jack since she'd first read the mission reports from the first mission to Abydos, and though their first meeting had been a stormy one, she'd found herself more and more intrigued by the smart-aleck leader as time had gone on.

Then, after years of repressing their forbidden feelings for one another, as they transferred out of the same chain of command, they'd decided to give their relationship a go. And she was grateful every day that they had.

"Waiting for me at the Gate, huh?" Jack asked with a laugh. "We must be getting serious."

Sam blushed as she realized that in the depth of her thought, she'd neglected to notice Jack walking toward her in his light blue jeans, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket. "I, uh, had some time off, and thought I'd meet you for a change." She said, putting her hands into the pockets of her own dark blue jeans as she shrugged.

"I like the change." He said with a grin.

"Good." She said, returning his grin. "And I have a surprise."

"A surprise?"

"Call it...a Christmas present," she teased.

"I like Christmas." He said, nodding. "And I like presents."

"And I owe you both," she said as she raised her eyebrow somewhat playfully.

"Yes. You do." He smirked.

"And...I haven't welcomed you to Denver properly," she said as she sauntered closer to him.

"No," he coughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Uh...you haven't..."

She kissed him slowly before she pulled away. "Welcome to Denver, Jack."

"One of my new favorite places," he murmured.

"Come on," she said, pulling away from him as she got back into business mode. "We have a lot to do..."

Managing somehow to regain his senses, he picked up his suitcase and followed her. "Before what?"

"Before Christmas, of course," she teased as she looked back at him.

-

"Where are we going?" Jack asked as they missed the exit for the interstate.

"That's part of the surprise." Sam said with a mysterious smile.

"We're not going to your place?"

"I don't have a place yet."

"You don't have a place yet?"

"Still waiting to hear from the Super..." She explained.

"So...where are staying?"

She merely turned a secretive grin to her boyfriend as she continued to drive.

-

Only a few minutes later, Sam pulled into the parking lot of a quaint bed and breakfast.

"I think I like Christmas even more," Jack teased.

Sam grinned as she parked the car. "I thought you'd like it."

"So, how'd you get the time off?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" She asked, looking over at her boyfriend somewhat casually. "Someone called Landry and told him that I'd been slighted the leave I'd earned after my tour on the Prometheus."

"Really?" He asked with a mockingly innocent smile. "I wonder who that could have been."

Sam winked. "Shall we go and check in?"

"After you," he said with a grin.

She slipped out of the car, and grabbed a small suitcase and a garment bag from the backseat. She grinned proudly as she caught Jack's eye.

"What?" He asked after a moment.

"I really surprised you," she announced happily. "And you liked it."

"That has yet to be determined..."

"Admit it," she challenged. "You like it."

He opened his mouth, but stopped himself.

"What was that?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow as she waited for him to admit his excitement about the weekend.

"I love it." He said, walking over to kiss her.

"And you don't even know what I picked up at Victoria's Secret this morning," she murmured as she pulled away and walked into the Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast.

"You're gonna be the death of me, Carter..." He muttered as he finally managed to follow her.

-

They walked into the room, and Sam looked over at him. "We need to change before we go to dinner."

"After you tell me that you got something at Victoria's Secret?" Jack whined.

"We have to keep up our strength for the festivities." She winked playfully. "Besides, I already made the reservations."

"Where are we going?"

"Daniel told me about this new place...it's called Strings."

"Strings?"

She nodded.

"What? Is there an in-home orchestra?" She giggled as she retrieved her dress out of the garment bag.

"I didn't bring anything dressy..." Jack said, somewhat worriedly.

Sam tried to keep from grinning as she revealed the black suit she had in her garment bag. "I anticipated something like that..."

"How did you get..."

"I let out all the stops with this weekend." She said with a shrug. "And I had your secretary check the measurements of your jacket."

"D'oh!"

"You'll look fantastic, Jack. Just put it on."

"Okay...fine...I will..." She winked as she handed him the garment bag. "We should leave in half an hour," she said, taking her dress and makeup into the bathroom.

"Yes, ma'am." He teased affectionately.

She smiled softly as she closed the door.

It was only a few minutes before she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a knee-length black dress with a sweetheart neckline, cap sleeves, an empire waistline, and a gently a-line skirt. With carefully styled hair and soft makeup, she walked into the room. She smiled softly as she saw Jack looking in the mirror as he tried to smooth down his cowlick.

"I like the bedhead look," she teased from the doorway. "If I didn't, I'd have to like Daniel more than I like you."

Jack turned with an amused smile. As he saw her, his lips parted involuntarily. "You look beautiful."

"You look quite dashing yourself." She said, softly.

He looked down at the jacket as he fidgeted with the collar, somewhat nervously. "Yes, well..."

"Trust me." She whispered, catching his gaze. "This is different, but it's great. And I don't want it all the time, but once in a while couldn't hurt."

He nodded after a moment. "Yeah."

"Shall we go?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

"Yeah..." He said with a tender smile.

"They have cake," she teased.

He grinned. "You know me too well."

"It's chocolate." She winked as she reached in and nipped at his lips. "With raspberry..."

"I definitely need to check this out." He grinned.

"Then, move out, General." She teased.

-

"This cake is very, very good." Jack said a few hours later as Sam fed him a bite of cake in bed.

"And this was the best idea you ever had," Sam teased. "Asking for a piece of cake to go..."

"Eating cake in bed with you in a naughty elf teddy from Victoria's Secret..." He said with a sigh of contentment. "Only the closest thing to heaven."

"You mean there's something better than this?" She asked with a wry smile.

"Let me explain this in words you'll understand." He winked.

She raised an eyebrow in amusement as she waited for his explanation.

"Theoretically..."

She giggled.

He cleared his throat, in playful seriousness. "Theoretically, Doctor, there is always a possibility that things could be better than they are."

She shook her head with a giggle as she scooted up to kiss his lips gently. "Is that so, General?" She asked, looking deeply into his eyes.

"Um-hm..." He murmured with eyes closed as he brushed his lips against hers again.

"So, you like Christmas?"

"Oh yeah, baby."

"Maybe next year, we can go to the cabin."

"Add fishing to this, and we would finally reach heaven." He said, seriously.

She released a contented sigh as she rested her cheek on his shoulder. He looked over at her as he gently let his fingers weave themselves through her hair. "You're so beautiful, Sam."

She looked up with a tender smile. "You're not half-bad yourself, General."

"I'm serious," he said, softly. "You've...softened through the years."

"There's this guy I used to work with," she teased. "He taught me how to let my hair down and relax."

"Maybe you should take his advice more literally." He said with a faint smile.

Her brow furrowed. "Huh?"

"I think you'd look great with long hair, Sam."

"With my job?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Maybe not now. But who knows? Maybe a year or two from now?"

"I'll think about it," she promised. "That's all I ask."

"Where do you want to be in a year or two?" She asked after a brief moment of comfortable silence.

"All I know is that I want to share them with you." He said quietly as he looked at her.

"What about you?"

"Dunno." She admitted.

"What about your career goals?" He asked, softly. "Ever want to ride a desk again?"

"If the conditions were right."

"Sam," he murmured. "I know we've never really talked about where this is going..."

She inhaled as she looked up at him, waiting to hear what he was going to say.

"...but I'm here for the long-haul. You do what you have to do. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," she whispered, looking up at him. He rubbed her arm with his hand as he pulled her closer to him in the gentle embrace of lovers.


	3. The Fourth Horseman Part I

Sam sat at the table in the briefing room, waiting for the General to get off the phone. She looked at the file in front of her, and she gently adjusted it so that it was straight in front of her. She looked back over at the General's office as he hung up the phone and walked into the briefing room. She moved to stand as the General waved his hand, motioning for her to stay in her seat.

"Colonel Carter, I've read your proposal." Landry said, seriously.

"And?" She asked, expectantly.

"And, I'm not exactly sure what an aneurysm feels like, but I suspect I'm pretty close." He said, sitting at the head of the table.

An amused half-smile played on her lips as Mitchell released a sigh of relief. "Boy, I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"Can you put this in layman's terms?" Landry asked, looking over at her.

"Well, simply speaking, sir," she began. "Based on the research that was done on Anubis's genetic experiment, Khalek, we believe we may be close to developing a technology that could inhibit a Prior's special abilities."

"Are we talking about a anti-Prior gun here?" Mitchell asked, flipping through the report. "Because I don't remember seeing the word "gun" anywhere in here."

"Well, it wouldn't be a "gun" exactly," she said, looking over at Mitchell. "But that is kind of what made us think it was possible."

"Because I was able to shoot Khalek while he was focused on defending himself from you." Daniel said, pointing at Mitchell.

"Which meant he wasn't omnipotent." Sam said, nodding.

"You think the Priors are the same." Landry inferred.

"We've identified specific portions of the brain that were active when Khalek was using his unique abilities." Sam said, seriously.

"Now he had those abilities because he was in a much more evolved state, very close to ascension." Daniel continued. "Now we're hoping the Ori are affecting the Priors in much the same way."

"Dr. Lee and I are working on a way of targeting and neutralizing those higher brain functions using a field generator emitting fluctuating ultrasonic frequencies." She reported.

"And my headache was just going away." Landry muttered.

Sam smiled. "I don't want to sound overly optimistic, sir, but I think we may be close to testing within a couple of days."

"Mmm. I _would_ like to report that something positive came out of that whole "Khalek" situation." Landry mused.

"Yes, sir." She said, efficiently.

"Keep me posted." He said as he stood and left.

Sam and Mitchell stood until he was out of the room.

Sam bit the inside of her cheek worriedly as she sat down. "He didn't look too impressed." She sighed.

"Oh, trust me. "Anti-Prior gun" would've gone down better." Mitchell said, closing his report and sending it back to her.

She sighed as he left.

-

"Hey, Bill." She greeted as she walked into the lab.

"Colonel! What did the General say?"

"That he wants us to keep him in the loop," she said with a grin.

"Yes!" He said, pumping the air with his fist.

An amused smile crossed her lips as she pulled up some of the project files. "I told him that we might be ready to test something in a couple of days," she said, casually.

"Wha…A couple of days?!?" He sputtered.

"Well, we'll just have to roll up our sleeves and burn some midnight oil if we have to." She said, matter-of-factly as she sat down at the table behind him.

"Ah…midnight oil." He said, sardonically. "Why didn't you just tell them we'd come up with a viable means of creating cold fusion while you were at it?"

"Sure, if you've got something." She teased with a beaming grin.

Bill managed a bitter chuckle as Sam smiled and reached for her iPod and placed the small buds into her ears. This had been one of the gifts that Jack had slipped into her suitcase when she'd left for her tour with the Prometheus, and she'd found herself ever grateful for the peace it had afforded her. Suddenly, the melodious sounds of Bach's unaccompanied cello suite came through the headphones, helping her to relax and think clearly as she began her work.

A few moments passed before Bill turned to look at her. "Can you hear me?" He asked, loudly.

Sam looked up, surprised, pulling out the earpieces. "What?"

"I…uh,…no, I,…right. Sleeves up…and…working." He said, shaking his head as he literally pushed up his sleeves and returned to his keyboard.

Sam smiled as she put the earpieces back into her ears. With a small smile, she opened her email manager. In only a few seconds, she'd put together a quick email which she was sure would put a smile on Jack's face, even if she wasn't able to speak to him on the phone for the next few days.

_To: Jack O'Neill_

_From: Samantha Carter  
_

_So, I have another use for that iPod you got me. Ignoring Dr. Lee. It worked rather brilliantly._

_Miss you, but am off to work on another project which will keep me busy for the next few days. Call you when I finally get home._

_XO_

_Sam_

She sent the email with a small smile, eagerly awaiting the response.

The sensation that someone was watching her caused her to look up alertly. Only a moment later, she returned to her work, dismissing the feeling as readjustment to working in a lab at the SGC.

**-**

Six hours later, a small window appeared in the corner of her screen as she worked, signaling to her that an email had just been received. She clicked on it, opening her email account to find an email from Jack.

She smiled softly as she clicked on the message.

_To: Samantha Carter_

_From: _ _Jack O'Neill_

_Glad I could help to corrupt you even further than I already have._

_Hey, you haven't talked face-to-face with Fisher since he got back from his mission, have you?_

Sam's brow furrowed in confusion as she began writing her response.

_To: Jack O'Neill_

_From: Samantha Carter_

_No, I haven't spoken face-to-face with anyone from that team lately. I've been stuck in my lab all day. Why? Is something wrong?_

She sighed as she sent the email. She'd been at her desk for nearly six hours; it was probably time to go and do something else.

"Hey, Bill, I'm going to get something to eat."

Dr. Lee nodded. "I'll keep...keep working on this- stuff."

She walked into the commissary and retrieved a cup of blue jello and a simple ham and cheese sandwich. She slowly walked to one of the empty tables.

"Apparently Fisher is fine, but all of the members of his team are down." One of the nurses said, looking over at her companion.

"So, what? The Ori used Fisher as a carrier?"

"It would seem so."

Sam inhaled sharply as she listened to the conversation somewhat curiously.

"How many people have been affected by the virus?"

"We can't tell. There are the four SGC staff members, but Fisher went off-base to an awards' ceremony. Apparently, General Hammond, himself, was there."

Sam tensed. No wonder Jack had been concerned.

Sam quickly finished her food before she hurried up to the surface and retrieved her cell phone. She dialed Jack's cell.

"O'Neill."

"Jack." She greeted.

"Sam? I thought you were stuck in your lab."

"I was. But after I got your email, I decided to get some dinner, and then I heard about what was going on with Fisher and the rest of his team."

"You know, Fisher was at an awards ceremony with Hammond..."

"I know."

"I just wanted you to know that I'm okay." She said after a moment.

"Thanks, Sam." He said, seriously.

"I've got to go back to work on that, uh, ultrasonic frequency emitter."

"Oh. Right."

"I'll call you later, " she assured.

"Keep those emails coming."

"I promise." She said, seriously.

"Love you."

"Backatcha." She said with a soft smile as she hung up and returned to the base.

-

Sam stopped by her personal lab to retrieve a few files for her work before she returned to Bill's lab. The loud vibration of loud heavy metal music caught her attention as she approached the lab. She walked in to find large speakers set up around Bill's workstation.

He seemed somewhat unaffected by the noise.

"Hey!" She called, trying to get his attention as she closed the door to the lab and put the files on her worktable.

"HEY!" She called again, louder.

Finally, she reached for the controls to the music player, and turned it off.

Bill sat up and looked up at her. "What are you doing?" He asked, confused.

"What are you doing?!?" She asked, incredulously.

"I'm testing frequencies." He said, motioning to his equipment.

She picked up a CD before she showed him her finding. "With "Dark Pariah"?!?"

"I can't hear a thing. Noise-canceling technology." He said, motioning to his earplugs.

Sam sighed as she looked at the screen. "How's it coming?"

"Oh, well…I mean, we all know our auditory senses are a direct line to certain brain functions, and we know that they respond differently to different sonic frequencies, but, uh, you know, trying to achieve something as specific as isolating one small part of the brain, that's like…I mean it's like uh…it's like…trying to do…something that's…impossible." Lee laughed helplessly.

"Good analogy." She returned somewhat sarcastically.

"Oh, come on…I haven't slept." He said seriously.

She walked back toward her workstation before she looked up, feeling the sensation that someone was watching her for a second time.

"What?" Bill asked, looking over at her.

Sam continued to look around for a moment before she looked back at Bill. "What?"

"No, I said it first. What are-what are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I think I'm just tired, too." She said, shaking her head.

She leaned down and rubbed her face with her hands. Burning the midnight oil was nothing new to her, so why was it so much harder than usual? Probably because she hadn't burn the midnight oil for more than six months.

**-**

"This is going nowhere, and my sleeves are up as high as they can go." Bill sighed several hours later.

"Perhaps if we tried a different kind of spread spectrum…maybe a combination of waves." Sam suggested.

Bill looked up at her, blinking as he tried to comprehend her words. "Yeah, but, uh…" He shook his head in confusion. "Look, I…I'm sorry, the only thing I can confirm with any kind of certainty is that sleep deprivation definitely has an adverse effect on all brain function. Um, I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm good." She said, shaking her head.

He left, rubbing his neck tiredly as she played with her pen and studied the monitors.

"You're so close."

"I know." She said, somewhat distracted.

Alarm bells went off in her mind as she realized that she should have been alone, and she turned to find a boy standing near Lee's workbench.

"Hello, Sam. It's good to see you again. I've missed you."

"Who are you?" She asked, puzzled. This child seemed to know her, and had somehow gotten past all of the security protocols and into her lab.

"I had no choice but to take this form. It's me, Orlin."

She inhaled sharply as she stared at the boy. "That's impossible."

"I know you're confused, Sam." He said, seriously. "But we don't have time to debate this. Your device needs to be finished."

She raised an eyebrow, and he took her place at the computer, quickly inputting some data into it.

"What are you doing?"

"Finishing the parameters for the device so that it will be most effective."

She pulled him away from the computer keyboard. "Stop."

"Sam, we don't have time." He insisted.

"What's my birthstone?"

"Emerald. I made one for you with your microwave."

She tensed before she reached for the phone on the wall. "Sir? We have a situation..."

-

Sam stood beside Dr. Lam, Daniel, and General Landry as they watched Orlin through the window of the observation room.

"As far as I can tell, he's a normal human adolescent." Dr. Lam said, looking at the rest of the group.

"Who claims he's an Ancient who has descended and taken human form." Landry continued.

"There really is no other explanation, sir, for how he could've gotten into the base, or know the things he knows. I'm pretty sure he's given us the key to finishing the anti-Prior technology Dr. Lee and I were working on." Sam said, seriously.

"According to the mission report on your first encounter with Orlin, you two…had a…intimate relationship?"

Dr. Lam's eyes widened, and Sam grimaced. Not that kind of intimate, she thought to herself. "Uh, well…w-we did, but uh, he didn't look like that…He was…"

"Taller?"

Sam swallowed with a thin smile. "He was a grown man."

"Ah. So why come back as a boy this time?" Landry asked, curiously.

"He said he had no choice, sir." Sam said, seriously.

"He had to take a younger form in order to preserve as many of the Ancient memories as possible."

"The knowledge he possessed as an ascended being was too massive for a normal human brain to handle." Daniel continued. "We're guessing that having a younger brain gave him a slightly better chance of retaining the knowledge a little longer."

"That makes sense, actually. The neural make-up of a still developing mind has the potential for better memory retention than that of an adult." Dr. Lam said, seriously.

"Ultimately, sir," Sam continued. "He says he will lose most of the knowledge. Sir, I think he's taken a huge risk just to be here. We should at least hear him out."

"Mmm." Landry said, thoughtfully.

**-**

They walked up to the briefing room where Sam sat next to Orlin as Landry took his usual place at the head of the table.

"I'm sorry—aren't you breaking some major cosmic rules here?" Daniel asked, looking at Orlin from across the table. "I mean, why did the Others let you go without wiping your memory clean?"

"Honestly, I don't really know." He admitted as Sam looked over at him, attentively. "I guess enough of them felt it was necessary for someone to step out of line and warn you."

"I'm assuming you're talking about the Ori. We're already aware of the threat they pose."

"Believe me, you don't know everything. A long time ago, the Ori and the Alterans were one society, human, on an evolutionary path to ascension, but a philosophical division grew. The Ori grew more and more fervent in their religious belief. The Alterans…for lack of a better way of putting it…believed in science. The Ori tried to wipe them out."

"So instead of going to war, the Alterans built a ship, left their galaxy, and came here." Daniel extrapolated. "Uh, we know that both the Alterans and the Ori eventually ascended, and that the Ori passed on a religion called "Origin" to the next evolution of humans they created."

"Yes," Orlin began, soberly. "But the central promise of the religion, everything Origin's followers devote themselves to, is a lie."

"Are you saying that the Ori _don't_ offer their followers ascension?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"No." Orlin said, seriously. "Most certainly not. Then they'd have to share."

"Share what?" Landry asked, curiously.

"The power they sap from those who worship them."

"Wha—how is that possible?" Sam asked, absolutely shocked. "I mean, are you-are you saying there's a real, physical transfer of energy to the Ori that occurs simply through a human being's belief in them?"

""Simply" is not how I would put it. It's quite complicated, but possible. And for it to have a measurable effect, it requires massive numbers of humans relinquishing their will. Nevertheless, it is one of the main reasons the Ancients have so strongly believed in strict non-interference in the lower planes."

"Because the temptation to manipulate and align lower life forms in some order for your own purposes could result in exactly this type of abusive corruption." Daniel continued quickly.

"The Ori empower themselves by sapping the life force of those willing to surrender themselves to them."

"Unknowingly. And this promise of salvation in return…"

"Leads to nothing but death of the most meaningless kind."

"Because there's no conscious effort to achieve enlightenment without being spoon-fed by the Ori." Daniel finished.

"Do the Priors know this?" Sam asked absolutely shocked. "I mean, are they complicit?"

"No. They are merely pawns. The more worlds the Priors convert, the more powerful the Ori become. They must be stopped."

"Why don't the Ancients, er, Alterans, whatever you call yourselves now…why don't you stop them?" Landry asked, curiously.

"I am one of them no longer," Orlin explained. "And even if I was, it is unclear whether such action would result in victory. Nor is such an endeavor at that level necessarily the next best step to further enlightenment. All I can say for sure is that if this galaxy were to succumb and bow to the Ori, it would be very bad for everyone."

Sam bit the insides of her cheeks, worriedly.

"Colonel, could you bring Orlin down to the infirmary again? Maybe he can help Dr. Lam," Landry said, standing.

Sam nodded as she followed suit. "Yes, sir."

"I can do that, sir." Daniel offered. "Sam's got that whole anti-Prior device that she's working on."

Sam looked over and shook her head. "Dr. Lee can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked, eying her seriously.

"Daniel," she muttered somewhat warningly.

"Okay..." He said, giving it up as they got strange looks from Orlin and Landry.

"Everyone okay?" Landry asked after a moment.

"Yes, sir." Sam said before she looked back at Orlin.

"You know, I think I'll come with you," Landry said, as he turned from returning to his office.

Orlin moved to follow the General as Sam gathered up her files.

"Sam, is this really the best idea?" Daniel hissed.

"Daniel, it's my job." Sam returned in a harsh whisper. "He'll understand."

"You haven't told him yet?!"

"I haven't had a chance!" She defended.

"Call him, Sam." Daniel persisted.

"Colonel?" Landry asked, looking back.

"I'm coming, sir." Sam said, turning back to him.

-

"We're hoping that as long as you're here, you may be able to help us." Landry said as they entered the isolation room.

"I no longer possess the power to simply cure this plague as I could have as an ascended being." Orlin explained. "However, with the knowledge I still retain, I believe I can synthesize a cure using your own medical technology."

"You built a stargate in my basement with spare parts from a toaster." Sam said with a shrug.

"Actually, this'll be a little harder than that." He said, seriously.

Sam looked at Landry, exchanging stupified looks with one another.


	4. The Fourth Horseman Part II

Sam walked into her quarters with a small sigh of exhaustion. If she didn't get some sleep, she was going to end up in the infirmary with the virus. She walked into her quarters, and looked at the phone. It was 2 AM here, and so it was 4 AM in DC. She wondered if she should call Jack. After all, he probably needed to know that Orlin was here.

She yawned. She'd call him later.

-

Four hours later, Sam walked into the lab, wearing one of the HAZMAT suits that had been required to get into the room. "How's it going?"

"Basically, I know what I need to make." He said, seriously. "I just don't have any of the right materials or tools."

"This is the best we have," she said with a small sigh. She managed a teasing smile. "I can get you a toaster if you need it?"

"Not unless you're hungry for toast." He returned somewhat, wryly.

Sam raised an eyebrow with a small chuckle. "Waffle iron?"

He turned a grateful smile to her.

"Look, I hate to be pushy, but do you have any kind of a time frame on this?" Sam asked after a moment, more soberly.

"Honestly, time from your perspective is not something I'm all that used to dealing with." Orlin said, matter-of-factly.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sam asked, looking over at him.

"You can keep me company." He said, looking over at her with an affectionate smile.

Sam managed a somewhat uncomfortable smile before she nodded. "Right."

**-**

After a couple of hours, Sam escorted Orlin to the commissary where she retrieved some more blue Jello and some fruit salad before she walked to a table.

"I have to admit, it's nice being out of that uncomfortable suit for a while." Orlin said as he sat. "I know I'm vulnerable now as a human, yet I still can't quite get my head around my own frailty."

"Well, you've been at it nearly nine hours straight. You need something to eat." She said, looking over seriously.

"I am hungry. Maybe it's just me—it has been a while since I experienced human senses, but this food doesn't smell very good."

"That's because it's not very good." Sam chuckled.

Orlin took a bite of his sandwich. "I remember eating pretty well the last time I did this."

"This is a one-way trip for you this time, isn't it? The Others, they're not going to help you ascend again, are they?" Sam asked after a moment.

"I don't think so." He said, soberly.

They slipped into a sober pause before he looked over. "I know it must be kind of weird, my appearing this young."

"A little…but I understand." She said as she took a bite of her cantaloupe.

"My only regret in all this is that human social conventions preclude us from showing affection the way I wish I could."

Sam stopped chewing as she looked up from her fruit salad, quickly looking around them. "Excuse me?" Sam asked with her mouth full.

"My feelings haven't changed for you since we last saw each other, Sam." He said, seriously. "Maybe in a few years…"

She chuckled uncomfortably. "Uh…"

"It's okay." He said, looking back at his food. "We don't need to talk about it any further. I just wanted you to know that taking human form at this age, while necessary, didn't come easy because of how I knew I would feel being here with you again."

Sam shifted as she played with her food. Why was it so hard to tell him that she and Jack were involved?

"Is it me, or is this food not very good?" He asked after a moment.

Sam smiled as she looked up. "Are you making a joke?"

"No." He said, confused. "It has been a while since I tasted food, but this seems terrible."

"We just talked about that." Sam said, studying him worriedly.

"Oh right, I'm sorry." He said, shaking his head. "I'm used to hearing my own thoughts in my mind, and sometimes it's hard to distinguish whi-which ones I say out loud…Did I tell you I still have feelings for you?"

She nodded quickly with an uncomfortable smile. "Yes, thank you…yeah, we don't need to go into that again.

She noticed Orlin's smile, and she inhaled worriedly. Something was wrong, and it was more than just the fact that she still hadn't called Jack or told Orlin about their relationship. There was something wrong with Orlin.

**-**

Sam walked into the lab. "Hey, Bill..."

"Colonel!" He cried, excitedly. "It's done!"

"What?" She asked, surprised.

"I- I mean, we have to field test it to make sure it works, but..."

"It's ready?"

"Yeah. I m-mean, it just seems from the preliminary tests tha-that we have the right frequencies."

"Excellent. I'll tell the General, and see how soon we can get a field test."

She walked out of the lab and down the hallway before she looked at the lab where Orlin was working.

She walked up to the observation room, and leaned over to microphone. "How's it going?"

He sighed. "I've run into a bit of a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

Orlin looked up at her. "I- I think I've determined that it's- it's a mutation in human DNA that has been engineered into a virus."

"What does that mean?"

"If I'm right, we'll- we'll need blood from the Prior who- who started the plague."

"I might actually be able to help you with that." Sam said after a moment. "I've got to go, but I'll be back."

"And I'll get back to work."

She nodded soberly as she walked toward the elevator.

"Hey, Sam." Mitchell said, joining her.

"Hi, Cam."

"So...old boyfriend on base. Awkward?"

"Not a boyfriend, and...a little." She admitted.

"Especially since he's a kid now."

"Which is why I don't really want to talk about it."

"Right." He said after a moment. "So...what's new?"

"Actually...a lot." She said with a grin. "We have finished the anti-Prior prototype, and...we may be close to synthesizing a cure for the plague."

"That's great!"

Sam's smile faltered after a moment. "Um...there's only one problem..."

"Oh?"

"We have to catch the Prior who did this in order to synthesize the cure."

"Shouldn't be too hard if the anti-Prior gun works."

"First of all, it's not a gun," Sam said as the elevator stopped. "And secondly...that's IF the anti-Prior device actually works."

-

"Colonels, please tell me something good is happening somewhere." Landry pronounced as he walked into the briefing room with Daniel on his heels.

"Dr. Lee has finished the anti-Prior prototype." Sam announced.

"Of course, without a Prior on hand…" Daniel continued.

"It does need to be field tested, but we think we have a good reason to try it." Sam said, forcing herself to sound more confident than she felt.

"How's that?" Landry asked, curiously.

"Orlin seems to have hit a dead-end with his work on a cure." Sam said, soberly. "He says there's a vital component missing."

"I told you, anything he needs…" Landry began.

Mitchell read the report. "What he needs is a blood sample from the Prior who infected Lt. Fisher."

"Orlin thinks the Prior essentially manipulated his own DNA to create the virus." Sam explained. "Now, it's mutated several times since then, but he still thinks having the root DNA that it was based on may help."

"You're talking about using an untested technology to try and capture a Prior."

"No, not just any Prior, the Prior who infected Fisher." Mitchell said as he closed the report. "It was our intel from our friends on the Sodan planet who led us to 885 in the first place. Apparently, they're expecting the same Prior back there tomorrow."

"And you're sure they can be trusted? As far as we know, the Sodan are the ones who blew SG-6's cover." Landry said, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"I don't believe that, sir."

"Ah, it seems awful risky, given that Orlin doesn't even sound positive this will help him."

"Orlin's attempt to find a cure might not be the only reason to do this." Daniel began, pensively.

"He thinks the Priors don't know the truth about the Ori." Sam explained again.

"Maybe if we "enligsuhten them" for a change…"

"Hmm-mmm. You want to try and turn this Prior." Landry said, nodding.

"Well, maybe not a complete 180, but he might give us something, especially once he finds out his gods aren't going to ascend him." Daniel shrugged.

"If he believes you."

"We won't know until we try, sir." Daniel reminded.

"In the meantime, we can at least get a blood sample." Sam said, seriously.

"I'm going to call the Pentagon and run the plan by them." Landry said with a sigh. "But...get ready for the field test at any rate."

"Yes, sir." Sam said, nodding with an uncomfortable smile as she realized that Jack was going to hear about Orlin through the General. This was bad.

She pushed it out of her mind. She had too much work to do, and she would explain it to Jack when she spoke to him next. And she'd hope that he'd be forgiving.

"Sam?" Daniel asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Yes?" She asked, looking up.

"You ready to go?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

She walked with Daniel and Mitchell down to the lab where Bill was fiddling around on his computer. "Colonel Carter!"

"Hi, Bill. We're here to see the prototype."

"Right." Bill said, leading them to a work table on which sat a metal briefcase.

Sam helped the scientist pull the disk-shaped device from the briefcase.

"So how does it work?" Mitchell asked, looking up at Sam. "Assuming, it actually does…work."

"Huh, you know, I keep telling myself that one of these days, I'm going to do something that actually gets me a little respect around here." Bill Lee said, shaking his head.

"We're all waiting for that day, Bill." Daniel teased.

Bill made a face in the archaeologist's direction as Sam continued. "Theoretically, once activated, the device will emit an omnidirectional ultrasonic field…"

"And THAT will prevent the Prior from accessing the highly evolved area of his brain that gives him the superhuman abilities." Bill finished.

Highly skeptical, Daniel picked up Bill's coffee mug and sniffed it as if checking for some sort of hallucinogenic drug before he placed it back down, and turned a skeptical eye to the scientist. Bill noticed his antics and steadfastly ignored him as Mitchell raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, we're presuming that the staff weapons the Priors carry are also mentally activated and will also be neutralized."

"And while we're at it, why don't we just ASSUME that I can fly?" Mitchell said, sarcastically.

"Oh, actually, I've been working on a theory where…" Bill interjected.

"You said yourself it would be risky." Sam interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know I said that." Mitchell said, shaking his head. "But the more I'm hearing, the more it's crossing over into crazy. Don't get me wrong, I like crazy, that's why I asked for this job."

"One more thing," Sam said, putting the device away. "There's a range of frequencies programmed into the emitter. If one doesn't work at first, try the others."

"Where are you going?" Mitchell asked, curiously.

"I have...a phone call to make." She said, looking at Daniel for a moment.

"It'll be okay, Sam." He said, softly.

She managed an uncomfortable smile. "I sure hope so."

**-**

Sam walked into her lab, and reached for her phone. She quickly dialed the out of state number.

"You've reached the office of General Jack O'Neill. I'm either in a meeting or out of the office, so leave a message after the tone with your name and number, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

"Sir, it's Colonel Carter. I wanted to check in with you, but I guess I missed you. I'll probably try your home and cell numbers. But if you get this message, you know how to reach me at the Mountain." She sighed. "I suppose I'll talk to you later."

She hung up the phone before she dialed Jack's cell number. "Hi, you've reached Jack O'Neill. Can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message. Bye."

Sam sighed as she hung up the phone again. She dialed Jack's home number.

"Come on, Jack, pick up..." She murmured.

"Hi, you've reached Jack O'Neill. Can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message and have a nice day."

"Jack, please...answer the phone," she murmured, pleadingly. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Orlin, but it came out of left field and I've been busy."

There was no response.

"Jack, please..." She sighed. "I guess I'll...talk to you later."

She hung up the phone, almost wanting to cry. What had she done?

"Colonel Carter?" Landry asked, walking into her lab.

"Yes, sir?" She asked, looking over.

"The Pentagon has approved the mission."

"That's good news, sir." She said, nodding. "What did General O'Neill say about Orlin?"

"General O'Neill wasn't there." He said with a sigh. "He's contracted the virus."

Sam tensed. "What?"

"Apparently, he and General Hammond went to a bar for drinks after the awards ceremony and before the quarantine had been spread through the country."

"What's his condition?"

"Stable." She bit her lip somewhat worriedly.

"I'd like you to stay here while Jackson and Mitchell take the anti-Prior device to '885."

"Yes, sir."

"How's our guest?"

"He's resting." She reported. "He's not used to the physical limitations of mortality."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Colonel, I want you to keep an eye on him." He said, seriously. "I'm still not sure if I trust him."

She winced. "Yes, sir."

"Something wrong?"

"I don't think we need to worry about whether or not we can trust him, sir." She admitted as she bit her lip. "But there is something that worries me about him."

"Oh?"

"I think...I think his memory is slipping."

"Then, I want you to keep your eye on him, and make sure he can still perform his duties."

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And take over when he can't do it any more."

"That's easier said than done, sir."

"At least try, Colonel. Nobody can blame us for trying."

She nodded slowly as he turned to leave. He reached the door, and she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She couldn't ask him to keep her apprised of Jack's condition – not without it seeming like she had the very relationship with him that she had. And at this delicate stage in her return to the SGC, it might do more harm than good – especially if Jack recovered.

"Our Father which art in heaven," she began almost without recognizing that she'd started reciting the prayer from her youth in Catholic school. "Hallowed be thy n..." What was she doing? By uttering this prayer, she would be no better than the countless millions who blindly offered their faith to manipulative beings on the higher planes. She swallowed before she walked out of the room. God wasn't going to save Jack. Science was going to save them all.

**-**

Sam walked down the corridor, trying to keep from losing control of her emotions. She needed to think clearly. She needed to do something more than mope around. She needed to determine how quickly a cure could be disseminated through the country, and more specifically to Washington, D.C.

Without looking where she was going as she turned the corner, she ran into Daniel who was hurrying to the Gate room.

"Sam!" He cried, surprised.

"Daniel!" She managed, trying to smile. "Sorry."

"No problem," she said, shaking her head.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked, noticing the look on her face.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head took quickly to be truly all right.

"Sam, I don't have a lot of time here, but..."

"Jack's got the virus." She finally blurted.

His lips parted in surprise. "That's terrible."

"And...I get to stay and take care of Orlin."

"He's the best bet we have of getting a cure."

"I know." She whispered as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Look, we'll go get the Prior, and you keep an eye on Orlin." Daniel suggested as he touched a hand to her arm, gently. "We'll get the cure out to DC in no time flat."

She nodded, bravely.

"Don't think about it too much or it will distract you," Daniel cautioned.

She nodded with a sigh. "I know."

"We'll get the Prior, and we'll bring him back, Sam."

"I'll hold you to that." She whispered.

He gave her a quick hug before he hurried off to the Gate Room.

Sam sighed as she continued walking to the lab. She walked entered the lab, somewhat surprised to find Orlin typing on a laptop as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"What are you doing?" She asked, seriously. "I thought you were going to get some rest."

"As soon as I finish the DNA sequencing program. That way when we get the sample from the Prior, we can plug in the decoded strand, and we'll know if it's going to help."

Sam tensed.

"Orlin, you've already done it."

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"The sequencing program. You finished it a couple of hours ago. You were going to get some rest."

"I…was on my way, and…I felt like…I had forgotten something." He stammered.

"Orlin?" She asked, worriedly.

"It's okay, I-I'm just tired." He said, waving away her concern.

"No, you're not." She insisted. "I want you to go see Dr. Lam."

"I think she has enough to deal with right now."

"Orlin, you're our best hope for finding a cure." She said, trying to keep the desperation from her voice. "We need you to be okay."

He sighed. "I'm fine."

"Orlin. I'm taking you to the infirmary whether you like it or not." She said, raising an eyebrow.

He looked up at her for a moment before he nodded slowly. "All right."

They walked down the corridor, and Sam watched Orlin closely until they reached the infirmary.

"Colonel Carter!" Dr. Lam greeted.

"Dr. Lam." Sam returned, soberly.

"What can I do for you?"

"She is concerned that I am unwell." Orlin said, answering before Sam could open her mouth.

"You've been careful about wearing the HAZMAT suit, right?" Carolyn Lam asked, looking at the boy.

"Of course." He said, nodding.

"Then, I don't see how you could be affect..."

"It's not the virus I'm concerned about." Sam interrupted.

"Oh." Lam said, looking at the other woman with a sober expression on her face. "Well, let's run some tests."

-

"It's the most active scan we've seen since Khalek." Carolyn said as she studied the brain scan in front of her. "That device you brought back from Anubis's genetic lab shows his actual synaptic interaction."

"And?" Sam prompted.

"Looks like pockets of cells are just shutting down. I can't say for certain, but I can hazard a guess they're wearing out from extremely unnatural overuse."

"Well, he said he would lose the memories eventually." She said, matter-of-factly. "The human brain isn't meant to hold that much information."

"This looks worse than that." Carolyn said, looking at Sam seriously. "It's like the cells are literally dying because they can't handle all the synaptic activity."

"What?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Okay, this is way beyond my experience."

"Still…"

"As you said, the human brain wasn't supposed to be used this way."

Sam nodded slowly.

"I don't know if it's conscious or not, but it's possible he's trying to hold onto the knowledge."

"And holding onto that much knowledge is causing brain damage."

Sam finished.

Carolyn nodded soberly as Sam looked over at the sleeping Orlin.

**-**

Sam walked up to the General's office. The door was closed, and she quickly rapped her finger against the metal door. "Enter."

Sam walked into the office.

"Colonel!" He said, looking over.

"General, sir," she greeted.

"What can I do for you?"

"I came to inform you that Dr. Lam believes Orlin is damaging his brain with the information he's holding onto."

"How bad is the brain damage?"

She tensed. "Enough so that he is forgetting what he's done and what he wants to do."

"Keep him working as long as he can or wants to."

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Anything else?"

Sam bit the inside of her cheek. "Have you he-heard anything about General O'Neill?"

"Nothing new."

She nodded. "I understand."

"I'll keep you informed if I hear anything." He said, seriously.

"That would be great." She admitted.

"Anything else?"

She shook her head. "No, sir."

"Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." She said, turning back to the door.

**-**

Sam sighed as she stood in the doorway, watching Orlin for a few moments as he made some notes, threw down his pencil and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Orlin?" She asked, softly.

"Sam. Are you all right?" He asked, looking over at her.

She walked into the room as she nodded. "I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about. We just got your test results back. They show significant and progressive changes in different areas of your brain."

"What kind of changes?"

"A degenerative process that's already started to impair your cognitive functions."

"I knew that when I took on human form, the memories I brought with me would eventually fade." He said, nodding.

"That's only part of it." She explained. "I mean it's not so much a result of you losing the memories, but more a consequence of your trying to hold onto them. Orlin, by not letting go of the Ancient knowledge, you're damaging your brain."

"Yes." He said, nodding. "My human mind if failing under the…weight of so much information."

She stared at him for a moment. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" She shook her head as she answered her own question. "As an Ancient, how could you not have known?"

"Of course I knew, Sam. But I had no choice." He said, soothingly.

"But you have a choice now!" She said, seriously. "Your brain is fighting a losing battle, stripping away whatever it can in an attempt to salvage the memories related to the cure. Give them up, and you could stop this from progressing any further."

"I can't do that. There's too much at stake."

Sam swallowed as she bit her lip. She knew that all-too well. But if he didn't leave any instructions and lost the knowledge he kept within his mind...

"You have the memories." She said, seriously. "Write them down. Give me the instructions. I'll complete the vaccine."

"It's too complex. You won't fully understand the process."

"Try me!" She insisted. "Orlin, you don't have to sacrifice yourself! Let go, before it's too late."

"I can't risk entrusting this job to anyone but myself. I have to see this through, Sam. I'm sorry."

She felt tears moisten her eyes as she finally stood.

-

Sam got onto her computer, quickly typing some information into a search engine. She reached for her phone, dialing one of the numbers into the phone.

"George Washington University Hospital, may I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"My name is Colonel Samantha Carter. I was hoping to know if Major General Jack O'Neill had been admitted in the last few hours?"

"Yes, ma'am, but he's in quarantine."

"Can he...receive phone calls?"

"I'll patch you through to his physician."

"Thank you."

"Dr. Miles," a woman's voice greeted.

"Dr. Miles, my name is Samantha Carter, and I was hoping to speak with Major General Jack O'Neill. I heard he was admitted here a few hours ago?"

"Yes." She said with a faintly irritated grate in her voice.

"I know he's a difficult patient, but maybe I could speak with him and convince him to be more cooperative?"

"Worth a shot." She said after a moment. "I'll transfer you."

"Thank you," she whispered, gratefully.

A few moments passed before she heard his voice. "O'Neill," he greeted, weakly.

"Jack," she cried, gratefully.

"Sam?" He asked in a somewhat wheezing tone.

"Yeah. It's me." She assured.

He coughed loudly and she felt tears sting her eyes at the prospect of how ill he must have been. "How'd you know I was here?"

"I talked to General Landry. He said you hadn't been at the phone conference he held with the Pentagon because you had the virus."

"I don't know what...they're making such a big deal about..." He wheezed. "This is nothing..."

She bit her lip. He was trying to make her laugh, but she was afraid that it would actually cause her to cry.

"They're..." She finally managed. "They're taking good care of you?"

"I'll be fine, Sam." He managed. "You have work to do."

"We're going to find a cure, Jack." She whispered. "I've been helping Orlin..."

"ORLIN?" He cried before he went into another coughing fit.

"Jack, don't be angry." She pleaded. "He's helping us in our fight against the Ori. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have any hope for finding a cure."

He was gasping for breath, and Sam inhaled sharply. "Jack? Are you okay?"

"Fine." He coughed.

"Don't talk, Jack." She whispered, worriedly. "Get some rest. I'll make sure that you get the cure when it's been finished."

"O...kay..." He murmured tiredly.

She hung up, finally allowing herself to break down into the sobs which had ached so desperately to release themselves from the depths of her soul.

-

Nearly half an hour later, Sam walked into the lab where Orlin was continuing his tortured work on the cure.

"It's like catching a glimpse of someone from the corner of your eye, then turning around, and they're gone." He murmured without looking at her. "You begin to actually doubt whether you actually ever saw them in the first place." He turned his head to face her. "Tell me, Sam, how can you regret losing a memory you can't even remember?"

Sam hoped that all signs of her meltdown had been erased from her eyes and cheeks as she managed a sad smile and shook her head. "What are you working on?"

"Your instructions for assembling the cure in the event I am too incapacitated to complete it myself. It's a…precaution we have to take."

Sam nodded soberly as Orlin gestured to the many sheets of paper lying around him. "The most frustrating part in all this is that I'm unable to control what I can hold onto, even for a little while. Crucial information I need to finish the cure is slipping through my fingers, while insignificant minutiae of my experience as an Ancient is still fresh and clear in my mind. In time, I'll lose it all, but for now, it just doesn't seem fair."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked, softly.

"No. At this point, it's best if I work alone."

She stood with a small nod as she squeezed his shoulder supportively. She walked to the door before turning with a sober look as she studied him, worriedly.

**-**

Sam sat in her lab, wishing there was something that she could do to help. She looked around the lab. Despite her move from Area 51, she'd seen to it that the lab was virtually the same as it had been for the entirety of her career until her reassignment.

Without conscious thought, her mind wandered down memory lane.

"_Carter!" Jack cried as he walked into the lab._

_She put the welder down. _

_"Sir, hi! How's Daniel?"_

"_Oh. He's going to be fine. What are you doing?"_

"_Umm, I'm getting ready to do a detailed analysis of the decay rate of naquadah within the reactor." She began. "It's really quite amazing that unlike plutonium, naquadah actually has a…"_

"_Aaaaghhh!" He interrupted. "I'm on vacation!"_

"_Yes sir." She said with a smile._

"_So are you." He reminded._

"_I know…" She said, nodding. "It's not that I'm happy that Daniel's in excruciating pain or anything like that but I've actually been looking forward to an opportunity like this for quite some time."_

_He threw her a look. "You know. Maybe it's just me, but I thought that when one actually got some leave, one actually left!"_

_She offered him a small half-smile._

"_Look, Daniel's recouping, Teal'c is off world visiting his kid somewhere. Personally I have a date with a little lake in Minnesota where the bass grow..." He opened his arms wide. "That big."_

"_Really." She said, sarcastically._

"_Oh yes!" He grinned. "What I am describing here, Carter involves a very special element."_

_Fun, she filled in mentally. She gestured to the equipment in front of her. "This is fun to me, sir."_

"_Well, if playing with your little reactor sounds better than exploring the lakes and natural beauty of northern Minnesota, there's not much I can do." He said with a sigh._

"_Was that an invitation…sir?" She asked, surprised._

"_Nothing wrong with that is there?" He said, evenly. "A couple of coworkers, friends if you will, fishing. It'd be fun."_

"_Wow." She said, shaking her head. "I appreciate the offer, sir. Really. Sounds great…but I should…"_

"_No sweat. See you in a week, and by all means, have fun." He said with an amused smile as he walked out._

_She watched him leave for a moment. She should just bite the bullet and go with him, she thought to herself. He was right. There was nothing wrong with a couple of friends going fishing together. Out in the middle of nowhere. In a simple log-cabin._

"_Colonel!" She called as she jogged to catch up with him._

_He stopped and turned around, expectantly, as she wondered what it would be like to sit with him by a fire in the romantic atmosphere of a log cabin. Maybe she shouldn't go._ "_Um, have a good time!" She finally managed._

"_Land of sky blue waters?" He offered again. "Loofahs. "Ya sure you betcha, snookums." Mosquitoes…"_

_He disappeared from view as an Asgard beam took him out of the underground Stargate facility._

She shook her head of the memory. She had to get busy again. If nothing else, she could serve as Orlin's memory to keep him from repeating the same steps over and over again.

-

After putting on the HAZMAT suit, she entered the lab, carefully watching Orlin's movements. He was losing control of his motor skills, she noticed. He turned from the microscope, accidentally knocking the contents of several blood-filled glass vials to the floor. She hurried over. "Orlin!"

"Dammit!" Colonel Johnson cried as he hurried over and hit the security alarm.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." Orlin assured.

"No, no, he is not fine!" Johnson protested, angrily.

"Colonel!" Sam cried.

"He hasn't been fine in two days!" The Colonel announced. "He has demonstrated lapses in judgment that put everyone in this room at risk."

"Colonel, that is enough!" Sam reprimanded.

The clean-up crew began cleaning up the spill.

"No, he's right, Sam." Orlin sighed. "I can't help you anymore. I'm just in the way here."

Sam tensed as she watched Orlin leave before she returned her attention to the cleanup crew.

I'm sorry, Jack, she thought to herself.

**-**

"Sir, we have confirmed cases in Bonn, Amsterdam, Rome and Madrid." Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman announced as General Landry walked out of the elevator. "We have suspected cases in London and Athens. The WHO has teams en route. Meanwhile, there are suspected cases on the African continent. Some of the military leaders in the region have already declared martial law."

"Thank you, Chief." Harriman walked away, and Landry turned to Sam, who stood only a few feet away. "Colonel, how are things progressing?"

Sam winced. "They're not, sir. As you know, the contagion's rapidly mutating nature necessitated our requiring a specimen of DNA from the original virus. We've finally managed to get a blood sample from the Prior who started the plague, but so far, it hasn't helped. It looks like we've hit a dead end."

"Let's hope "looks like" is the operative sentiment here." Landry said, seriously.

Sam managed a strained smile as she turned to leave in the opposite direction. "Yes, sir."

**-**

Sam lay on the bed in her quarters, trying to get the rest she needed.

"_Sir! Just go!" She cried as he tried to hit the control console._

"_No!" He cried, leaving his task so that he could look up at her._

_Her eyes showed her fear and gratitude in equal measure as the force shield shimmered._

She shook the memory from her mind.

"_Because I care about her. A lot more than I'm supposed to."_

Even now, she winced at the memory of Jack's words during the za'tarc retesting.

"_They think it could cure you. Now, it may be your only chance. It would only be temporary. It would come out of you as soon as they found another host. Sir, are you getting any of this?"_

"_Carter?" He managed._

"_Yeah, I'm right here." She assured as she leaned over his sweat-covered body._

"_Over my dead body."_

She felt tears well up in her eyes and touch her cheeks as she remembered how closely she'd come to losing him at that time.

"_Sir?" She whispered, looking over at him after the drones left the surface. "Sir?"_ _Fearfully, she touched her finger to his neck. "His pulse is erratic," she announced, looking back at Daniel and Teal'c._ _She turned back to him. "Don't you dare leave us now. We won!"_

_He opened his eyes, but he didn't seem to look at her. _

_She grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Colonel!"_ _He still didn't react. "Jack...please..."_

"_Dor...mata..." He finally whispered._

She forced herself awake. "No...please..."

Her phone rang, and she rolled over to answer it. "Carter..."

She managed somehow to make her voice sound far less shaky than it had been only a few moments before.

"Sam," Daniel greeted, urgently. "Landry wants to see us in his office."

"I'll be right there." She said, rolling out of bed.

"Hey, how's Jack?"

She sighed. "Not well...he lapsed into a coma an hour ago when I called."

"And the cure?"

She had to bite her lip to keep from crying. "Stonewalled."

"He's strong, Sam..."

Silent tears were slipping down her cheeks. "I've got to get up there for that meeting," she murmured as she wiped at her cheeks. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

She hung up the phone as she inhaled, trying to remain strong so that she could do her job effectively.

-

Sam sat at the briefing room with Daniel and Cameron, waiting for General Landry to appear. They were all tired and worn.

"It's always darkest before the dawn." A familiar voice said, pulling them from their respective reveries.

They all stood as they looked at General Hammond. "My uncle used to say that all the time, he was a wedding planner." Hammond said with a small smile.

Sam grinned at the sight of the General. "General Hammond." She greeted, warmly. It was nice to see a familiar face.

"At ease."

"Sir, when did you arrive?" She asked, curiously.

She wondered if he'd heard about Jack yet.

"Oh, I've been here a while. But, you were busy, and I thought it was best not to disturb you." He turned to Cameron Mitchell. "Colonel Mitchell. Congratulations on getting the band back together."

"Thank you, sir. It wasn't easy." Mitchell replied.

"No, but worth it." General Hammond said with a small smile. "You couldn't ask for three better people watching your back." He looked back at Sam and Daniel. "I'm sorry I won't get a chance to see Teal'c before I go."

"You're leaving, sir?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'm off to Peterson. I've been called back to Washington."

To take over Jack's job while he was ill, no doubt, she thought to herself, despondently.

"Well, it's-it's good to see you again, sir." Daniel said, seriously.

Sam managed a wistful smile, and Hammond returned the smile.

"It's good to see you again, too. All of you. Give my best to Teal'c. Take care of each other. Take care of General Landry, too."

-

"Unscheduled offworld activation." Chief Master Sergeant Harriman announced over the intercom.

Sam hurried into the control room.

"It's Teal'c." Harriman announced, looking over at her.

She looked over at the activated Stargate as Teal'c and Gerak walked through. "Lower your weapons." Teal'c ordered.

When the guards did not move, Teal'c stood in front of Gerak, shielding him with his own body.

"This is Colonel Carter." Sam announced over the microphone. "Stand down."

Teal'c and Gerak began to walk down the ramp as Sam turned a questioning glance to Walter. A moment passed before she walked into the Gate room. "What's he doing here?"

"He has offered to reverse the Ori Plague." Teal'c announced.

Sam's eyebrows shot up before she swallowed. "Get him to the infirmary."

**-**

Sam sat on the table in the briefing room, watching the news. Reports of the spontaneous healing were on every news station, and Sam bit her lip anxiously as she watched the television.

"Colonel Carter."

Sam turned to find General Landry behind her. "Sir!" She said, snapping to attention.

"At ease, Colonel."

"Yes, sir." She said, nodding.

"I want to thank you for all of your work."

She managed a troubled smile. "You're welcome, sir."

"You're overdue for some leave. Especially after the last week."

"Thank you, sir." She said, not refuting the well-deserved break for the first time in her career. She hesitated for a moment.

"What is it, Colonel?"

"Orlin. What are they going to do with him?"

"He's been set up in a long term care facility."

She tensed.

"He'll be taken care of."

"I know, sir."

"Your leave begins now, Colonel. Enjoy your trip."

"My trip?"

"Give Jack my regards."

"I will, sir." She said, too grateful to be embarrassed by the transparency of her feelings.

-

_Washington, D.C._

An insistent knock on the front door of his townhome caused Jack to hobble down the stairs. He had been pronounced healthy by the doctors, but he still felt somewhat weak. "Coming!" He called.

He opened the door only to have two arms flung around his neck as two lips touched his own somewhat aggressively. That kiss, in all its wild desperation, brought back memories of their first kiss in the locker room after she'd been affected by the Virus of the Touched.

"You scared me to death," Sam cried as she finally pulled away from him.

"Sam," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair as he studied her face. "I'm okay." He pulled her into his arms as he hugged her tightly. "I'm okay."

He wanted to promise her that he'd never scare her again, but they both knew it would be an empty promise.

"How long are you here?"

"I have a week's leave," she said, biting her lip vulnerably.

"Then I have a week to remind you that I'm not going to leave you without a fight."

She offered him a shaky smile as he tugged on her hand. "Come inside, Sam. You're trembling."

"This week..." She murmured as he pulled her in and closed the door.

"I know," he said, softly. "Why don't you tell me all about it while I get dinner ready?"

"Let's order in until you get your strength back," she whispered, worriedly.

He opened his mouth before he nodded. "Anything you want. After the week you've had, I'll give you anything you want."

"I love you, Jack. I don't know what I would have done..."

"You don't have to find out. Not today."

She offered him a watery smile, and he wrapped his arms around her again. "It's okay, Sam. You'll be okay."

And in his arms, she found herself believing once again that they might one day see the peaceful world and galaxy they'd worked so hard for over the last nine years.


	5. Ripples

Sam walked into her new apartment after yet another long day of saving the world, somewhat dismayed to see the boxes that lined the walls.

"Nice place." Jack said from where he sat on the couch.

"Jack!" She said with a grin. Her brow furrowed after a moment. "Wait, how did you..."

"Daniel told me you got the place." He said, standing and walking over to her.

"Oh." She said with a chuckle. "Right."

"Besides, with a reference like I gave you, no landlord in his right mind would want to keep you from renting his property." He said as he stopped only a few inches away from her.

She grinned as she took a single step closer to him. "I appreciate it."

"Nothing but the best for my lady," he said with a grin as he leaned in to kiss her.

She grinned as he pulled away. "You'll never guess what we just had to deal with..."

"I read the report," he smiled.

"There were...well, I lost count after eighteen." She said after a moment. "Eighteen of us, Samantha Carters, Shanahans and O'Neills...in the same room, working the problem."

"I know. And I can't believe I missed it!" Jack cried, incredulously.

Sam chuckled as she reached into a pocket in her briefcase. She handed him a small frame.

"What's this?" He asked, confused. "Mitchell...took pictures. Wanted me to give this one to you."

Jack turned the frame over to see a picture of the "Room o' Carters" as Mitchell had scribed at the bottom.

He grinned in wholehearted appreciation, and Sam shook her head. "You're crazy..."

"Yes, but you love me." She sighed, goodnaturedly. "Heaven only knows why."

He grinned as Sam remembered her latest experience and sobered as she walked to the living room, and sat on the couch.

"Something wrong?" He asked, joining her. "One of the teams that came through...had an alternate Martouf and an alternate Janet."

"I read that." He said, nodding. "We gave Janet the cure to the Prior Plague..."

"There were more than a few things that didn't make it into the reports." She said, soberly.

"Wanna talk about them?"

She tensed. "I...I almost kissed Martouf..." She admitted.

"Oh." He said after a moment.

"Apparently in his reality, we'd been in an...intimate relationship. He'd left the Tok'ra and joined the SGC for me."

"Was he still with..."

She shook her head. "No. He never got around to telling me who I was with, though."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Janet told me, though, that I was on maternity leave."

"Wow. Kids, huh?"

She nodded.

"That's a new one."

She smiled, though she was clearly distracted. "Yeah..."

"What is it"

"I don't know." She said, shaking her head.

He raised an eyebrow, and she shrugged. "I...I guess I was wondering what it would be like to be a mom. Wondering if..."

"If?" He prodded, gently. "If I don't just want to have a baby."

"I won't stand in your way." He said, seriously. "But only if this is really what you want."

She tensed. "Really?"

"Sam, I love you. And I don't say that unless I really mean it." He said, seriously.

She smiled softly. "I know, Jack, and I love you too."

"You think about it, and I'll be here no matter what your decision is."

"You'd really be okay if I said that I wanted to have a baby?"

"It'd be tough, and I'd have more than a few things to work through," he admitted. "But yeah, I'd be okay."

"But on the flip side," she said, biting her lip. "My career would be virtually over."

"You're a Lieutenant Colonel." He said, seriously. "That's pretty impressive."

She nodded. "It is. But if I were to have a baby, and I were to stay at the SGC..."

"It would be hard, but we could do it." He assured.

She swallowed."I don't want my kids to grow up motherless," she whispered.

"We can cross that bridge when and if we ever get to it." Jack said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and rubbing her arm gently.

"And I don't want a baby without the rest of the package..."

"Package?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Marriage, picket fence...whole nine yards..."

"We can do that."

She inhaled. "When you were sick, I was afraid to ask how you were doing because I didn't want Landry to get the wrong idea...how can we do this if I"m not even willing to tell anyone that doesn't already know that we're together?"

"Anyone who really knows us would think twice before they suggested we'd been inappropriate." He said, soberly. "So, you shouldn't be afraid to admit that we're in a relationship. We haven't done anything wrong."

She nodded slowly before she looked up into his eyes. "Are you playing devil's advocate or do you want to do this?"

"Do I want to have kids with you at some point? Yes. Am I going to push you into something you're not ready for? No." He said, seriously.

She smiled softly as she curled up next to him, pulling his arms more tightly around herself. "Thanks, Jack."

"For what?"

"For being you." She said with a tender smile. "And for loving me."

"Always," he said, kissing her lips gently.


	6. Back on the Grid

Sam sighed softly as she slipped into the warm water of her bubble bath. She felt the stress of the last mission slip away as she closed her eyes and inhaled the aroma of the lavender candles she'd carefully placed on the bathroom counters as the mournful melody of Yo-Yo Ma's cello music played softly in the background.

Her body had felt suddenly free as she'd released herself from the leather bodice that Cam had insisted she wear on the undercover mission. Then, still in the locker room, she'd proceeded to take a long, hot shower as she tried to cleanse the dirt from her skin and purge the mission from her mind.

But here, despite the good that shower had done and the freedom she'd found from the oppression of her costume, she felt centered again. Whole, peaceful and feminine once again as she finally released the burden of her latest mission from the forefront of her mind.

She must have fallen asleep because she awoke a half-hour later, still soaking in the now lukewarm tub with a completely different melody playing on the iPod and the candles more drooped than before. And she felt so rejuvenated.

She stood, carefully, before she reached for a towel, and gently dried the water from her body. She winced a few times as the towel touched her recent bruises and cuts. There was nothing like a rough mission to remind her that she was alive.

She reached for a thick robe, and wrapped it around her as someone knocked insistently on the door to her apartment.

Ignore them, a voice in her head whispered somewhat seductively. You deserve to revel in the tranquility a little longer.

The knock came again, more urgently than before, and she sighed. She walked to the door, and looked out the peephole to find her boyfriend, Major General Jack O'Neill, standing outside in his dress blues.

She quickly unlocked and opened the door. "Jack!" She greeted, warmly. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about your mission," he said as he entered, and she could hear the undercurrent of anger lingering there. "I'm gonna kill Mitchell."

"Jack..." She murmured as she closed the door. "We're fine. We're safe."

"Yeah, but only because you got lucky!" He stormed.

"We had more than a few of those moments when you were in command too," she reminded him.

"But never because I took a stupid risk." He seethed. "Pretending to be a drug-smuggler..."

"Jack. Sit down, and I'll get you a glass of water." Sam commanded, softly.

He sat instantly as she walked into the kitchen and turned on the faucet. A few moments later, she had walked in, and sat beside him. "Now. Are you ready to hear what I have to say about it all?" She asked after he'd swallowed a few gulps of water.

He nodded, expressionlessly.

"I think he was cocky, and more than a little naïve."

"That much is certain," Jack scoffed.

Sam put up her hand to silence him, and he obliged almost instantly.

"He's read our mission reports from the last eight years, and I think he was under the impression that we were invincible."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued before he had a chance to say a word.

"I think that he learned we're more than a little vulnerable to our enemies, and that despite appearances to the contrary, we don't normally go looking for trouble."

He nodded calmly, having taken more than a few deep breaths to help him relax.

"Are you going to be okay about this whole thing?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Good." She said with a soft smile.

"I guess...it just scared me. How close I came to losing you." He said, brushing a tender finger over her injured cheek.

"I know." She said, seriously. "It's scary, what I do."

He nodded. "Especially when you actually know what you do."

She managed a faintly amused smile.

"I want you to tell Mitchell any time you think he's being stupid. And I will put the fear of God in him so that he will listen." Jack said, seriously.

Knowing this to be the only way she could avoid bloodshed between the Major General and the Lieutenant Colonel, Sam nodded. "Okay." She agreed. "I don't think he'll make the same mistake again, but if he does, I'll tell him that he's being stupid."

"Thank you."

"Feel better?"

"A little."

"How about pizza and beer, hm? I know it's your favorite."

A faint smile softened his chiseled features. "Sure. Why not?"

She kissed his lips gently before she walked into the kitchen. She retrieved a phone book, the phone and a beer. "I'll be back. I need to dry my hair and get into my pajamas. Can you handle ordering the pizza?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Remember...I like..."

"Veggie Lover's. I know." He said with an affectionate smile.

"Be right back." She promised as she bent over the back of the couch and kissed the top of his head.

-

It was only a few minutes before she returned in her cotton pajamas. "I'm back," she murmured as she sat down beside him.

"Yeah," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"So, you took a few days off your very important and auspicious job to yell at Mitchell because he made an error in judgment?" Sam teased, gently.

He sighed softly. "Too much?"

"As much as I appreciate the sentiments," she said, softly, with an amused smile as she played with the hair that stuck up at the back of his head. She paused as she looked into his eye with a bemused half-smile. "Yes."

He smiled affectionately.

"Do you remember the reprimand we received from General Hammond after the armband mission?" She asked with a small smile.

"Oh yeah." Jack said with a laugh. "Not one of our brightest moments..."

She chuckled softly. "Let's just say that was nothing compared with the lecture Mitchell got from Landry."

"I knew I liked that guy." Jack said with a grin.

"Still, I can't complain that you have a little extra time to spend with me." She beamed.

"You got some time off?"

"No, but I don't have a mission scheduled for the next few days. I'm working on some projects with Dr. Lee, so I'm on an 8 to 5 day barring any emergency."

"It's the "barring any emergency" part that has me a little concerned..."

She grinned, appreciatively. "I think we've filled our emergency quota for the week."

He couldn't help but laugh at her joke, and she smiled at him, grateful that she'd been able to get him calmed down.

"Besides, Cassie's coming. She's on spring break."

"And she's coming...here..." Jack said, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"After Shawn, she's not sure sure she wants to do the typical college spring break," she said, softly. "She's still hurting."

"Ah." He said, sobering.

"Besides, Daniel wants to get to the bottom of some ancient artifact he found, and so Teal'c's going back to Dakara, and Mitchell's..." She bit her lip. "Been ordered to take a vacation..."

"Ooh. Been on one of those..."

"I know you have." She said, nodding. "Which is why I didn't want you to give him a hard time."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "Pizza." Sam said, preparing to stand.

"Nah, I got this one, Sam." He said, standing.

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, you're my girlfriend, and I showed up out of nowhere to blast one of your coworkers for endangering your life. The least I can do is buy you dinner."

She laughed as he opened the door. It was only a few minutes before he'd brought the pizza back to sit on the coffee table. "Plates?" He asked, curiously.

"I'll get them." She said, standing, from where she'd sat on the couch with her legs curled beneath her.

"He's more like you than you know, Jack." She said as she walked into the kitchen.

He shook his head as he retrieved a piece of his Meat Lover's half of the pizza. "He's more like me than I'd like to admit. There's a difference."'

Sam nodded as she returned with two plates, napkins, and the rest of the six-pack of Guinness. "Is that why you gave him the post? I mean, besides the fact that he saved our butts in Antarctica and you offered him any post he wanted."

Jack sighed as he nodded. "He reminded me of myself when I was his age. Some kid who had dreamed of flying for so long that he couldn't imagine doing anything else for the rest of his life."

"Which is why you joined the Air Force..."

He nodded, somewhat absently. "Yeah. My dad and I would build these...little model planes...and we'd zoom them around the room. It was...magical for me."

"I'll bet." She said with a tender smile as she offered him another beer. "You don't talk about them much."

"Who?"

"Your parents. Your siblings – assuming you had any."

"Yeah, there's a reason for that." He sighed.

"Oh?" She asked, turning her inquisitive eyes to him as she took a sip of her own beer.

"My dad died." He murmured, looking off into space. "In Vietnam. When I was ten. My mom couldn't handle raising me after he died, and so she ran off and left me with my grandfather."

"I'm sorry to hear it." She whispered with empathetic eyes.

"Never had any siblings, so it was just me and my grandpa in the cabin in Minnesota."

"He taught you to fish."

He chuckled to himself. "It wasn't until I was sixteen that I realized there were no fish in that pond."

She burst into an appreciative grin.

His features softened into a wistful smile. "I learned a lot from my grandfather."

"Grandfathers are good for that." She agreed.

"He and Charlie were best buds," Jack murmured as he took another sip of his beer.

Sam swallowed as she studied him. This was the first time he'd ever voluntarily brought up his son. At least since he'd pulled the team together after the crystal entity had impersonated him and brought those questions to the surface. "What...was he like?" She asked, cautiously.

Jack looked over at her as he inhaled and exhaled silently. "He was like any other kid, I guess. He liked to play outside. He loved science."

Sam smiled faintly.

"That part, he definitely got from Sara." He said with a mirthless chuckle. "He would wake me up in the middle of the night sometimes, and he'd beg me to get out the telescope so that he could look at the stars."

He looked over at her. "He would have liked you a lot."

Sam felt tears moisten her eyes as she realized that had probably been the nicest thing he could ever have told her.

"He wanted to be an astronaut. He wanted to reach out and touch the heavens." He finally finished.

"That part..." Sam whispered, thickly. "He got from you, Jack."

He turned a grateful smile to her as he patted her thigh affectionately. He looked back at the fireplace in front of them. "I miss him, Sam."

"I know, Jack." She whispered, softly.

He was silent for a few moments before he looked over at her. "Sam?"

"Hm?"

"Have you been thinking about that...baby...thing we were talking about?"

She nodded, soberly. "Yes."

"And?"

"And...I want to have a baby." She said, seriously. "But...I don't think right now is the right time. Maybe after we...get married. I mean, i-if....we get married."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said, sincerely. "I love you, Sam. That's never going to go away."

"I know. I love you too." She said with a gentle smile. "And I know how hard it was to talk about your family."

"I trust you," he said, simply.

"And that means the world to me." She assured.

He pulled her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it. "Tienes mi corazon, Samantha" he murmured, looking back up at her eyes. "You have my heart."

"Backatcha." She whispered tenderly as she leaned in to kiss his lips.


	7. Nightmare

_The Korolev exploded before her eyes, and she felt sorrow overwhelm herself as she realized there might not be any survivors from this particular battle because of the power and might of the Ori attack._

_Her memories flashed forward to when the action had settled around her._ "_This is Lieutenant Colonel Carter. I'm in a spacesuit drifting free, approximately two thousand feet off the front right position on the Supergate." She cried, desperately. She was starting to feel the effects of the diminishing life support._ "_Look, uh, I hate to be self-centered here, especially given what's just happened, but uh, I've only got a couple of hours of life support left here." She said, concerned._

"_I'm aware of your situation, Colonel." Emerson reported, seriously. "I'll keep you apprised."_

_The scene changed to when she'd first found herself suspended in space._

"_Something's happening." She announced as she watched the Supergate in horror as she found herself suffocating. She gulped at the air, but she found herself losing consciousness. _

_"Jack..." she whispered as she blacked out._

"Jack!" She cried in a panic as she gasped and shot up as she woke from the nightmare, heaving for breath.

"Sam?" Jack murmured from where he lay beside her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She managed, breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath. "Nightmare..."

He rolled over, touching his hand to her arm as he tried to comfort her. "Tell me about it."

"It's the same as the others." She said, shaking her head. "I'm stranded in space, and I can't breathe."

"You're safe," he whispered, gently, recognizing that she needed space more than she needed a hug.

She turned a watery smile to him. "I was so scared," she managed as she began to shake with the fear that she had felt.

He sat up and scooted over to her as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her trembling frame. "You're fine, Sam," he comforted, running his fingers through her hair. "I've got you."

She clung to him as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm calling Landry." Jack said as she finally pulled away, having received the comfort she had needed. "You can't go back like this."

"I'm not the only one who suffered through something horrible that day, Jack." She sighed, a great deal more calmly than before.

"Yes, but..."

"Vala, Daniel, Cam, Teal'c," she said, softly. "They're all back already. And Vala...she had a baby."

"First of all, Vala's physical healing was sped up by the very daughter to whom she gave birth," Jack began. "And seccondly, everyone heals at different speeds and in different ways."

"Jack." She whispered, touching his lips with her finger to silence him. "It's time. You know as well as I do that they need me. Especially now."

"And what happens if you get PTSD, hm?"

She tensed. "I've been seeing Dr. MacKenzie to make sure that doesn't happen."

"But you're still having nightmares..." He said, concerned.

She bit her lip as she nodded. "Yeah..."

"And he's cleared you to go back to work?"

"You know he hasn't." She sighed.

"Then, take the time to really heal, Sam." He pleaded.

"Jack..."

"You'll be no good to anyone if you're not all there, Sam."

"I'm tired, Jack." She sighed, laying back down and rolling over so that her back was to him. "I'm going to sleep."

"Sam..."

"I'm going to sleep, Jack." She sighed as she clutched the pillow on her side of the bed. "Maybe you should do the same."

He sighed, as he looked over at her before he lay back down. "Sweet dreams..." He said, softly, as he followed her example.

Sam's eyes were still wide open as she continued to think into the wee hours of the morning.

-

Jack was not surprised when he awoke the next morning to find the other side of the bed cold and neatly made. He sighed heavily as he slipped out of bed, and walked out of the bedroom.

"Good morning," Sam said, efficiently as she finished frying up some sausage. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I made a little of everything."

"That's an understatement," Jack murmured as he looked at the breakfast bar which was filled with plates of French toast, pancakes, waffles, toast, eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, as well as several boxes of cereal, a pitcher of orange juice, a carton of milk, and a pot of coffee. And they were all in quantities that would have intimidated an entire restaurant of starving refugees.

He walked over to her, and took her hand from the handle of the frying pan. "Couldn't sleep, huh?"

She sighed as she looked away.

"Sam, I've been there." He said, turning her around to face him. "You don't need to be ashamed..."

"I'm not." She protested, pulling away.

"Sam, look at me." He prodded, gently.

"Your flight is in a few hours. You need to eat, shower, and get dressed so that you can get through the security checkpoints in time." She said, looking away.

"Not with you like this." He said, seriously. "What's going on?"

"I told you, I'm fine." She huffed, turning a pointed look his way.

"Could have fooled me." He said, folding his arms across his chest.

"I have an appointment." She said, pushing past him.

He followed her. "Sam, you need to talk about this..."

"And I am!" She cried, looking back at him. "I happen to be seeing a therapist about it. Would you like his number to verify that I'm actually going to my appointments?"

"That's out of line."

"I'm sorry. Sir." She snapped as she slammed the bedroom door.

-

Daniel walked into his office with a cup of coffee and several books in hand as his phone rang. He hurried toward it, dropping the books on the desk as he reached for the receiver. "Daniel Jackson."

"Danny."

"Jack!" Daniel greeted with a smile. "Hey, what's going on?"

"It's Sam. I'm worried about her."

"What happened?" He asked, more soberly as he sat down at his desk. "She's having these nightmares...she says that she's dreaming about being stranded out in space and how scared she was when that happened. Then, she wakes up gasping for breath."

"That would be normal after the physical and emotional trauma she endured." Daniel said, seriously.

"I know, and I'm not exactly worried about the dreams. I mean, I know she's seeing MacKenzie, and she's..."

"Wait, what?" Daniel asked, curiously. "MacKenzie's not here anymore. He left just a little after you did."

"What?" Jack asked, surprised.

"I don't know what's going on, but she's not seeing MacKenzie unless it's in private practice."

There was silence on the other side of the conversation, and Daniel looked at the phone before he placed it back to his ear. "Jack?"

"I'm here."

"Besides the dreams, what's going on?"

Jack sighed. "Mood swings."

"Mood swings..."

"Last night, she had one of those nightmares, and I comforted her, and then, still somewhat worried, I figured I'd call Landry and ask him to give her some more time to heal."

"Did you tell her that?"

"Of course, Danny! I'm not going to do something like that behind her back!" Jack snapped.

"Okay, okay...what next?"

"She tells me that she hasn't been cleared to go back to work yet, and I suggest that she takes the time to actually heal, and she rolls over and tells me to go back to sleep. Then, I wake up this morning to the biggest breakfast buffet I've ever seen, she yells at me when I suggest that she's having trouble sleeping, she storms to her bedroom with some lame excuse of an appointment that apparently, she's been lying to me about from the beginning, and then when I say she's out of line for offering me her shrink's number so that I can verify that she's actually going, she says "I'm sorry, sir," and slams the door."

"Ouch."

"Ya think?"

"Look, maybe she is seeing someone...."

"As in a shrink or another guy, Danny?"

"She'd never cheat on you, Jack."

"So sure of that, huh?"

"Jack." He reprimanded.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I wouldn't even think about it if she was actually acting like herself..."

"Maybe she went to see Orlin."

There was a pause. "Orlin?"

"Yeah. He's in town at a long-term facility."

"If you know this, then she knows this..."

"Yeah, she went to see him just after she got back from DC. I think she has a standing appointment there every week..." J

ack sighed, and Daniel cursed himself silently. "And...she never told you that she'd been seeing him..."

"Uh. That's a negative, Danny." Jack said, seriously. "What's the address of that place?"

Daniel rattled it off before he inhaled. "Jack, she's been through a lot..."'

"Yeah, I know."

"Don't be too hard on her. She really does love you."

"I know," he sighed. "But she's got a funny way of showing it..."

"Hey, I think you're both nuts for having waited THIS long to do something about it." Daniel said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Bye, Danny." Jack said in all seriousness.

"I-I...that was a joke, Jack." Daniel tried to explain as the line went dead in his hands. He sighed. Oh boy...

-

Jack walked into the common room to find Sam sitting at a table with a ten-year-old boy, piecing together a puzzle. He walked quietly up to the table.

"Hey, Orlin." He said, looking at the boy.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked, curiously.

"Jack O'Neill. Her boyfriend." He said, gesturing to Sam.

"Ah." The boy said, nodding as he looked at the guilty astrophysicist.

"Mind if I steal her for a few minutes?"

"Go ahead. I'll work on this while you're gone." He said, pleasantly.

Jack looked at her, expectantly, and she sighed, standing. "I'll be right back." She said, mustering a reassuring smile.

"Outside." He said, motioning to the nearby door.

She sighed as she walked out the door. "You know, I haven't been this humiliated since my father caught me necking on the porch after my Junior Prom," she said, sarcastically, as she turned to face him again.

"You lied to me." He said, soberly.

She clenched her jaw as she looked down at the floor.

"Daniel told me that MacKenzie hasn't been at the SGC since about the time we left."

She swallowed, still unable to look at him. "And that you've been having regular visits to Orlin since he got back."

Her eyes darted up to look at him before they quickly returned to the ground.

"What's going on, Sam?"

"Nothing." She mumbled.

"This isn't you, Sam. Lying, sneaking around..." He said, earnestly. "This is...juvenile. What's going on?"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" She asked, looking up at him, uncomfortably.

He sighed. "You've been through a lot, Sam. I recognize that. And I'm willing to stand by you. But you've got to decide whether or not you want that."

She hesitated for a moment. "And if I don't?" She asked, looking away.

He paused in surprise before he schooled his emotions. "Uh...then, uh, I'll go back to DC, and you won't have to see me ever...again..."

"I think that would be best." She said, clenching her jaw against the wave of emotion which threatened to erupt.

"Look me in the eyes, and tell me that." He said after a moment. "At least give me that much."

She inhaled before she looked up at him. "I think that you should..."

"Should what, Sam?"

She looked away.

"You can't do it, can you?" He asked, matter-of-factly.

She closed her eyes as they filled with tears. "Jack, please..."

"What's this really about, Sam?" He asked, his brown eyes boring into her soft blue ones.

"I-I can't do this to you anymore." She whispered. "I can't put you through the agony of wondering if I'll make it home, and I can't let it distract me either."

"So, you want to end this."

"I would never want to end this," she sniffed.

"But you will anyway."

"It's the right thing to do, Jack."

"The right thing to do?" He asked, incredulously. "I don't think so, Sam. It's the easy thing to do."

"Leaving you would never be easy," she said, seriously.

"Then the stupid thing to do." He corrected.

"What do you want me to say, Jack? That we can fix this? Because they need me right now, and we're at war!"

"Exactly why you need a strong anchor at home, Sam!" He roared.

She tensed as she closed her mouth.

"Look, I don't like that you're in danger everyday," he admitted. "But I've waited a long time for you, and I'm not going to let you throw this all away for something as silly as thinking we're better off without this." He sighed. "Because I've been there, and that's never the answer. No matter what the circumstances."

Sam's cheeks were wet with silent tears as he turned to leave.

"I'll be at Daniel's if you need anything."

She watched him go for a moment before she felt her lips move of their own accord.

"Don't leave, Jack," she whispered.

He paused, refusing to turn back.

"I need you." She continued. "And I'll always need you."

He turned back to look at her with pain in his eyes.

"Please, Jack," she begged as tears slipped down her cheeks more rapidly.

He took a few hesitant steps toward her.

"Hold me?" She pleaded as the sobs she'd tried to hide from him began to their way to the surface.

Almost instantly, he wrapped his arms around her waist as she flung her arms around his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed.

"It's okay," he whispered as he held her.

"I'm here," he murmured as he gently cradled the back of her head in his hand, rubbing his other hand up and down her back comfortingly. "I'm here."


	8. 200

Sam sighed as she walked down the corridors on her way to the briefing room.

"You know what's going on?" Daniel asked as he fell into step beside her.

"Not a clue." She said, shaking her head. "All I know is that we've been ordered to get to the briefing room."

"Maybe SG-15 got back from their mission with some intel on the Ori situation..." He said, hopefully.

"Possibly." Sam agreed.

"Or..."

"Or what?"

"Or there's another intergalactic emergency, and we're going to have to save the world again."

She grinned appreciatively as they walked into the briefing room. "It's probably the former."

"I sure hope so." He quipped with a dramatic sigh.

"SG-1!" Landry greeted with a grin as they saw the five thick stacks of paper on the table. "Take a packet and start reading."

Sam looked somewhat puzzled as she picked up one of them. She looked at the title with an internal groan. "Wormhole X-Treme...the movie?"

"Oh, please...no..." Daniel groaned from where he sat at the desk as he let his head drop against it.

Sam chuckled at his reaction before she shook her head. The whole situation smelled like Jack's handiwork. Very clever, Jack, she thought to herself.

"Ooh! Goody!" Vala grinned, reaching for the packet.

"I thought I could make it work. But the thermodynamic loop is feeding back to the planet's core." She read. "Monroe and Levant shrug as they are beamed from the planet's surface. The aliens chatter to one another worriedly."

She looked up disgustedly. "Well, that never happened!"

"Well, you gotta open big." Mitchell said, looking at the script. "Catch people's attention. Make them think the whole thing is gonna be jam packed."

"I love jam!" Vala said, excitedly.

Sam turned to look at her, incredulously.

"Oh, I get it." Vala said noticing the looks they were giving her. "It's yet another playful twist on words in your "Earth" language."

Sam shuddered as she looked back at the script. "I-it-it makes us look stupid!" She cried, irritated.

"You realize it's not actually "us"." Daniel said, looking at her.

She sighed. "Okay, okay, it makes the "characters" look stupid. I mean, do you really think the best way to introduce the heroes of this story is to show them causing a massive catastrophe?"

"That's…realistic." Mitchell said, looking at her.

When you're pretending to be a drug-smuggler, she thought to herself as she glared at him.

"I don't care." Daniel pointed out.

"C'mon, it'll be fun." Mitchell said, excitedly.

"You know, you say that about everything." Daniel pointed out. "Come to think about it, why am _I_ doing this?"

"To make sure that the Air Force is being properly represented." Landry said as he walked in and waved for the other officers to remain seated.

Sam looked over at Daniel, who was clearly about to ask a question as he raised his hand.

"…and because General O'Neill has requested _you_, specifically." Landry said, steam-rolling ahead.

Sam chuckled as Daniel groaned. "Of course he did."

"Jackson, how often do we get to give notes on a big Hollywood feature script?"

"I believe this is intended to be a television movie." Teal'c said, stoically reading his own script.

"A fictionalized, albeit slightly ridiculous, version of Stargate Command is an excellent cover for the real thing in the event of a security leak." Landry said, picking up the script.

"Plausible deniability." Sam said, nodding.

"I'm sorry, sir," Daniel interrupted. "Did you say "slightly" ridiculous?"

Sam turned an understanding grin to her friend.

"You're doing this! You have no choice. Just give the man five minutes. I'll get you out of this when the time comes."

Sam sighed. She had SO many better things to do than this.

"Um, I've been looking at this, and there doesn't seem to be any mention of a sexy female alien…" Vala said, flipping through the script. "Anywhere! I'm not even in this!"

Sam looked over at the newcomer with disbelieving eyes, almost unsure of whether or not to dignify her concern with a response. Finally she sighed. "You know, the really unbelievable part is that anyone would consider spending millions of dollars on this. I mean, seriously, all these writers, and they couldn't come up with anything better?"

"I don't know," Vala said, shaking her head. "I've been watching a lot of television lately, and apart from one _glaring_ omission, it doesn't seem to be that bad."

"Maybe we can make it better." Mitchell suggested.

"No, I'm with Sam on this one." Daniel said, shaking his head. "I mean, who makes a movie out a series that only lasted three episodes?"

"It allegedly performed well on DVD." Teal'c murmured.

Martin walked in on his cell phone, and Sam shook her head in disbelief. Who'd have thought that this bumbling alien would become a television producer. "No, I'm not using any shots from the series!…It's a movie, not a clip show…The budget is the budget. They are a bunch of pencil-pushing, bean-counting idiots!…You tell _them_, if they don't like it, I'm gonna take it somewhere else!" He said, smiling and nodding at SG-1 before he turned away and spoke into his phone. "You know not to say that last part, right?…Yeah, "movie, not clip show" is fine…Yeah. I've gotta go. Yeah."

He hung up the phone and sat down at the head of the table. "Cell coverage is just terrible in here. How's it going? You done?"

Sam looked at Daniel and Teal'c with a small sigh.

"Well, it certainly seems to be packed full of jam!" Vala announced, excitedly.

"I knew I should've given you my first draft. The-the producer brought in the other writers."

"I thought you were the producer." Mitchell said, confused.

"Yeah, the _real_ one!" He protested. "Uh, look, just be honest. I-I trust you guys. That's why I'm here. Just…tell me what you think."

I'm going to kill you, Jack O'Neill, Sam thought to herself. Even if you are my boyfriend.

"C'mon! You must have some ideas. Don't be afraid. Just…pitch them out. We call it "spinning". No one's gonna judge you." Marting coaxed as he clasped his hand in front of him and waited explectantly.

"Okay, for starters," Mitchell said, jumping in. "I think you need a strong opening sequence."

"Are you serious?" Martin scoffed. "No one does that anymore. You just throw up the title and get on with it."

-

Zombies? Sam thought to herself as she stared at Cam with a disapproving look in her eye.

"Just out of curiosity," Daniel said, looking at the Lieutenant Colonel evenly. "What was the rest of the team doing while your character was fighting the zombies?"

Sam turned her own questioning glance to him as he turned away somewhat embarrassed.

"Son of a bitch!" Martin cried as he slammed his phone onto the folder.

"Studio executives, huh?" Cam asked, eager to get the attention away from himself.

"What? Oh, no Charlie? He's a great guy. He's the only one I trust." He said as he sat down again.

"So, what's the problem, then?"

"Our lead backed out. I mean, how am I supposed to tell the story without my lead character?"

"Easy. You just bring in a character to replace him."

Martin glared at Mitchell as Sam hung and shook her head.

"What?" Cam asked, looking at Sam.

She frowned and shook her head. He was the last person to talk about bringing in a "character" to replace a lead.

"You guys have to help me. I mean, how can I keep the main character in the story without actually having the actor who plays him?"

"Well, you could have the other characters refer to him all the time." She suggested. That's what happened with Jack most of the time. In fact, if she hadn't been dating him that might have been the only way anyone else would know he'd been a part of the team. "Maybe, get him on the phone once in a while."

"Oh yeah, right."

Sam's face fell.

"I mean something cool like uh, face-switching or body swapping."

Flashes of the Ma'chello body-swapping musical chairs experience caused Sam and Daniel to grimace.

"As if anyone would believe that." Vala laughed as she looked into her coffee mug.

Daniel rolled his eyes and looked at her incredulously.

"Come on. You guys must have some real-life experiences I could draw on." He pleaded.

"Oh! Well, there-there was that time that Colonel O'Neill was invisible." Sam grinned.

_-_

"_So, essentially, what I think happened is that you were bombarded by the particle field being emanated by the cloaking generator." She explained from where she stood behind her workbench as she looked at the empty chair. "See, you were in the engine room standing right next to it when the device was turned on. That would account for the minute traces of radiation we've been picking up from you. But, the good news is," she said as she sat down across from the invisible Jack. "I think I've found a way to reverse the process. We have to go back to the mother ship and get the cloaking generator."_

"_Sam, who're you talking to?" Daniel asked from the doorway._

"_Oh, Colonel O'Neill." She said with a grin. "I was just explaining to him how we're going to make him visible again."_

"_No you're not." Daniel said, waving his arm in the space above the chair before he sat down. "Jack's in, uh, Hammond's office."_

"_I can't believe he did that to me again!" She cried, frustrated._

"_Yeah. You know, getting the cloaking generator off that mother ship. That's going to be the least of our problems." He said, shaking his head. "Now, getting Jack to help, that's going to be the hard part."_

"_Oh, don't tell me." She groaned._

"_Oh yes." Daniel said with a sarcastic smile. "He likes being invisible."_

_She shook her head with a groan._

**-**

_A sound in the empty women's locker room caused Sam to poke her head out of the shower cubicle, pulling the curtain around her so that she would remain at least somewhat modest. "Sir?" She asked, looking around the room. "Are you there?"_

_The long pause let her sigh in relief before she heard a familiar voice. "Nope."_

_She shoved the curtain closed with a sigh._

He still did that to her sometimes when she was in the shower, she thought to herself with a soft chuckle as she retold the story of his invisibility.

"It might feel like kind of a cheat." Martin said, shaking his head.

"Maybe it's best just not to mention the guy at all." Mitchell suggested.

"Yeah. Besides, invisibility can be very powerful. You might not want to open that can of worms. You don't want your heroes to become too powerful."

"Well, you can always invent some negative side effects. Well, I mean, that's how we talked Colonel O'Neill into becoming visible again." Sam explained. Jack hadn't been too fond of the possible death scenario when he'd been invisible.

Martin nodded, thoughtfully, as General Landry walked into the briefing room. "Okay, that's it. SG-1, you are cleared to leave."

"Thank you." Daniel said, instantly standing as he put his glasses on.

Sam sighed in relief. Hallelujah!

"They can't leave! They haven't finished reading my script." Martin cried.

"That's funny, I thought it said "General" on my uniform." Landry said, pointing to the stars on his uniform.

Sam bit her lip with a small smile.

"We owe you one, sir." Mitchell murmured.

"You mean another one." Landry chuckled.

"What are you talking about?" Daniel asked, facetiously. "I thought you said it was going to be "fun"?"

"Not after his zombie idea got shot down." Vala said, matter-of-factly.

"So, uh where are you guys all off to?" Martin called.

"Like we're going to tell you..." Daniel muttered under his breath, causing Sam to chuckle.

"It's just a recon mission, isn't it?" Sam asked, looking at the rest of the team.

""Just" a recon mission? This is no simple recon mission. This is no less than my 200th trip through the gate!"

"Really?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're counting?"

"You bet."

She exchanged looks with Daniel who looked as weirded out as she felt.

-

Sam sat back in her chair, pressing the palms of her hands to her head as she tried to avert the migraine that was inevitable. "Let's try a full reset," she said, looking over at Harriman. "I'm going to go back upstairs and consult with the General."

"Yes, ma'am." Harriman nodded as she stood and walked up the stairs to the briefing room.

"Any idea when we'll be able to go?" Daniel whined.

"Sorry." She said, apologetically, as she looked over at Landry. "We're trying a full reset of the system, sir."

"Hey." Vala said, looking over at Sam.

She walked over to the alien. "If you want this to be more accurate, why don't you just give him your mission files?"

"They're classified." She explained.

"So? Didn't you say that no one on your planet would believe this was all real anyway?"

"Even still," She said, uncomfortably. "Do you know how many mission files there are?

1,263. Hopefully sixty-four by the end of the day."

Sam and Daniel looked at one another as they turned around to face Mitchell.

"Actually, it's 1,264 already." Daniel said, seriously.

"No, it's sixty-three. I'm pretty sure I've read all the files recently."

"Actually, you haven't read 30185." Sam explained. That was the report about the...incident...where she'd drunk that stuff and taken off all of her...

"30185? What's that?" Mitchell asked, curiously.

"We can't tell you." Daniel quipped.

"What do you mean, "you can't tell me?" I have the highest security clearance known to mankind. What-what is 30185?" Mitchell asked, standing.

"We were sworn to secrecy." Sam said, pursing her lips to the side somewhat uncomfortably.

"Well, why even mention it to me if you're not going to tell me what it is?"

She winced and shrugged. "Sorry."

"Can you tell me?" Vala asked, looking at Daniel.

"Oh yeah, we can tell you." He said, hiding the sarcasm that Sam could see in his eye.

Vala was clearly excited as Daniel non-verbally passed the baton to Sam. "Well, it has to do with the time that the gate sent us back to 1969." Sam lied.

"Well, that can't have anything to do with me, I wasn't born 'till a year later." Mitchell scoffed.

"Actually, it was…nine months before he was born." Daniel corrected.

"What?"

Sam turned to Mitchell with a sheepish smile as she remembered those days – or rather, tried to remember those days. Half of the time they'd spent on the road, they'd been too high on second-hand incense to really remember what had happened. There was one partial memory that she and Jack had both kept under wraps. One where they'd suddenly realized they were both half-naked, and secluded from the rest of the team. "You have to remember, it was the sixties."

"Come on, you have to have known that Jack's always taken an interest in your life." Daniel continued.

"Jack?…O'Neill?"

"Indeed." Teal'c said, nodding.

Sam's eyes took on a shining sparkle as she realized how uncomfortable Cam had started to get. "Remember when you were chosen for the 302 program even though you didn't think you should get in? How about when you were chosen for SG-1?"

"Wait, are you saying that Jack O'Neill is…" Vala began, laughing in her shock.

"…my daddy?" Mitchell finished.

"All starting to make sense now, isn't it?" Daniel said, nodding.

"Hmm." Teal'c murmured with a small smile.

"Oh, I'm being _punk'd_, aren't I?" Cam cried after a moment.

"We honestly can't tell you about 30185." Sam said, soberly.

-

"Yeah, that'll work." Martin scoffed, sarcastically, as Cam finished pitching his puppet movie idea. "A whole movie made with puppets."

"Hey, I'm just saying…"

"Maybe we can have Puppet O'Neill jump over a puppet shark on a one-third scale motorcycle."

"I don't get it." Vala said, looking over at Mitchell.

He shook his head.

"Look, you don't know the business like I do." Martin sighed. "I don't have any money, so I have to give the actors something else."

"Bigger trailers?" Sam offered.

"I can't afford that, either. No, I have to give them something that costs me nothing, but no actor can refuse."

"And what's that?"

"A good ego stroking."

Sam raised her eyebrows, skeptically.

"I have to make them think that I rewrote the script just for them. In this draft, there has to be something that makes them want to do this movie, even if it's for scale."

"You know, we've been trying here. You're not listening." Mitchell said, getting more and more irritated.

"I'm talking about a twist. Something nobody's expecting." Martin continued.

"You mean something like this?" Jack said, dressed in his blues as he waved from the doorway.

Even Sam was surprised as he appeared.

"Wow, I don't think anyone will see that coming." Vala murmured.

"No, but there'll be spoilers." Daniel said, shaking his head.

Sam stared at her boyfriend as she shook her head. "Are you kidding? It'll be in the commercial."

"So what brings you this way, sir?" Mitchell asked, looking at the General as Teal'c tried to pitch a television show idea to Martin.

"What, a guy can't just stop by from Malibu to say hi?" He asked, looking at the team.

"Malibu?" Sam asked, surprised as Daniel threw a discreet look over to her.

"Sure. I was there on…business." He said, uncomfortably playing with his hands.

"Exactly, sir." She said, hiding an amused smile. "You're an Air Force general with enormous responsibilities."

He turned an uncomfortable glance her way before he inhaled. "Ostensibly, I just stopped by to see how you were doing with Marty."

They all looked at him, skeptically.

"Well, truth be known, that, uh, lately I've been a little…what? How do I say it?" He said, searching for the right word.

Sam turned an amused chuckle to him. "It's okay to say that you missed us, sir."

"No, not that." He said, shaking his head.

"Like you have unfinished business?" Daniel supplied.

"Okay." He said, nodding.

Sam shook her head as she chucked silently. More like he'd wanted to see how badly they'd hated his little practical joke...

"You need closure. And I have the perfect thing. We're about to go on a mission to commemorate my 200th trip through the gate." Mitchell announced.

"Really? 200 you say?"

"That's…200 times he's _stepped_ through the gate, sir," Sam said, turning a playful smirk to the Lieutenant Colonel. "Not actual missions."

"To be honest, I wouldn't mind one last jaunt through the old orifice."

Sam's brow furrowed as she looked at him, awkwardly.

"What? We call it that sometimes, don't we? Orifice?"

She shook her head, discreetly.

"Stupid focus groups!" Martin cried, putting his phone back in his pocket. "They hate the ending! I have to think of something new."

"They could go fishing!" Jack said, matter-of-factly.

Sam smiled as Martin turned a skeptical eye to the Major General. "Fishing?"

"Yeah, it would be the perfect ending. I mean, after that, anything else would seem…pointless."

She grinned as he looked over at her before he explained the fishing trip that the team had taken after her dad had died.

"So, what's the twist? No fish? No. I need something with more impact, something more…moving."

"Everyone loves a wedding." Vala said, smacking Daniel's arm. Daniel turned a surprised look to her as she explained every detail of Sam and Jack's off-world wedding.

Sam looked at Jack as she tried to hide a small smile. He opened his mouth, but Martin spoke instead. "Yeah, right, if I want to torture the audience on purpose!"

-

"So...why'd you go to visit Mark?" Sam asked, looking over at him over a glass of punch at the anniversary reception for Stargate Command that they'd found on the other side of event horizon.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, feigning ignorance.

"Mark? My brother who lives twenty minutes away from downtown Malibu..." She reminded.

"Don't know what you're talking about," he teased.

She rolled her eyes.

"Had a question for him."

"A question?"

"Yeah. I wanted to get baby pictures...the whole nine yards," he teased.

"I'm not buyin' it." She said, shaking her head.

"Come on, Sam, I really was there on business."

"You're lying, Jack. I saw the look on your face back there."

"I didn't say whether it was official or personal business." He teased.

"You...are terrible." She laughed as Daniel walked over.

"So, was this your idea, Jack? This party to commemorate the 10th year of the Stargate Program?"

"No. The party was Landry's idea, but the cake...that was all me." He grinned.

Sam shook her head with a small smile.

"So, could you believe Vala and that wedding idea?" Daniel asked, shaking his head with a small sigh.

Sam chuckled. "I don't know, it kind of sounded like fun."

"So, you would want to get married off-world with Thor performing the ceremony?" Jack asked, turning a bemused smile to Sam.

She shrugged with a small smile. "Why not?"

Daniel looked between the two. "Do, uh, do you two need to tell us something?"

Sam and Jack turned to look at him as they shook their heads in unison. "No. Just...thinking out loud." Sam said with a small smile.

"Right..." Daniel murmured as Vala called him back over to do something inappropriate, he was sure.

Jack fingered the box in his pocket as he shared an affectionate and knowing smile with his girlfriend. Mark's hard-won approval had been the last step in Operation: Proposal. Now for the right time and place...

"Something on your mind, Jack?" Sam asked as they found themselves alone again.

"Just how beautiful you are."

"In this old thing?" She teased, motioning to her combat gear.

He smiled appreciatively.

She winked at him as she took another sip of her punch and stepped toward the center of the festivities. "C'mon." She invited, turning to look at him with a tender smile.

"Be right there," he smiled, content to watch her "six" for a few moments before he followed. "Follow you anywhere, Carter," he murmured as he fell into step behind her.

"Did you say something?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"Nope." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Now, what is this?"

"Daniel and Vala attempting to simulate a fertility ritual from one of her many homes." Sam chuckled. "Although, I'm sure it wasn't Daniel's idea to be involved."

Jack laughed, heartily. "I miss going off world."

Sam turned a sober smile to him as she studied him. She sighed softly as she looked back at the festivities. He'd never wanted to "fly" a desk, but he was. For her. For their future.

"Something on your mind?" Jack asked, turning her earlier question back to her.

"You." She said with a small half-smile.

"Good or bad?"

"Always good, sir." She grinned. "Always."


	9. Injured

"So, how did it go?" Landry greeted as they walked down the ramp back into the Gate room from their mission.

"Absolutely incredible, sir. You can forget about the Ori. With an act like that, Sam will be headlining in Vegas." Cam said with a grin.

"Okay, stop." Sam blushed.

"The performance of the device did exceed all expectations, General Landry." Teal'c said, nodding.

"I'm telling you, sir, a few tweaks here and there, we'll be able to hide anything we want. Troops, ships, planets…" Mitchell announced.

"It's a lot more complicated than that, sir," Sam said, seriously. "But I do think we're ready for a large-scale test."

"Good. Get changed. I may have just the thing."

Vala nudged Sam with a smile as Sam returned it.

-

"Colonel Reynolds has been conducting reconnaissance on P9C-882 as part of the on-going mission to track the Ori advance in the galaxy." Landry said, looking at the blue briefing folders in front of each team member.

"Approximately four hours ago, the people of 882 were visited by a Prior."

"Let me guess: he made them an offer they couldn't refuse."

"With a slight twist." Reynolds said, soberly. "He told 'em to build this."

Vala tensed as she looked at the plans.

"I take it you've seen that before." Landry said, looking at Vala.

"Oh, yes." Vala said, pointing to the picture. "They use these to burn people alive who don't follow their rules."

"He gave them three days, at which time he said he'd return to check their progress."

"What has been the villagers' response?"

"Already rejected the idea. They lived under the Goa'uld for centuries. They're not about to give up their freedom again. They've asked for our help."

"You want to use Sam's device to make them disappear!" Vala gasped.

Sam's eyes widened in realization. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. First of all, it's _Merlin's_ device. And second, while I agree the modifications I've made have potential, it's far from ready to deploy in the field on that scale. I'm sure that that's not what the General is proposing."

"Actually Colonel, that _is_ what I'm proposing." He said, seriously. "The IOA has reviewed the reports of your experiments, and they think it's time to take this new technology out of the lab. I happen to agree with them."

"With respect, sir." Sam interrupted. "You're talking about trying to hide an entire village… of people."

"I realize it's a tall order, Colonel," he said, nodding. "But we seem to have a three-day window here. Any chance you can make the necessary adjustments in that time?"

"Can do, sir." Vala said with a grin. "Not a problem."

Sam turned to Vala in annoyed dismay.

"Good!" Landry said, nodding.

Sam huffed as she looked back at Vala.

"What? Don't look at me like that." Vala said, seriously. "We've got a village to save!"

-

Sam sighed as she quickly typed some commands into the program on her computer as she felt that someone was standing behind her. She turned to find an Ori soldier standing behind her. She dived out of the way as his blast hit her abdomen. "GAH!" She cried, applying pressure to her injury as she curled up in pain.

She barely heard the peripheral sound of rapid fire as she felt her body go into shock.

"Sam?" Mitchell cried, kneeling beside her as he tried to help her.

She winced at his touch, fearfully.

"It's okay. You'll be okay." He murmured as he tried to assess the situation.

She pulled her blood-covered hand from her side before she reached over and grabbed his jacket in desperation. "Help...me..." She struggled to whisper.

She started to lose consciousness, and he looked over at her. "No, no, ah. You'll be fine. Just stay with me!"

He took his cap off and threw it to the floor.

"Search the village!" One of the soldiers announced outside.

"All right, we have to move." Mitchell announced, looking over at her.

"We can't!" She cried as she felt anxiety well up in her chest.

"Sam, we have to!"

"The device…" She choked out.

"All right. Yeah." He said, pulling out some C-4.

"No!" She cried, fighting against the pain. "You can't destroy it!"

"Well, what do you want me to do? I can't carry you and all that junk!"

"Activate it!" She managed as she moved. She screamed in pain at the move.

"It's no good; they're fried!" Mitchell said, looking at the capacitors.

"All of them?" She cried, desperately.

"Well, we've got _one_ working!"

"Uh, bypass the other two;" she managed. "Connect the leads."

"All right, what's next?!" He asked as he finished.

"There's a macro...on the main control screen." She said as blackness enveloped her.

-

She gasped as consciousness came suddenly and her pain knifed through her mind's haziness.

"Is it getting worse?"

"Not getting better." She managed, weakly.

He walked over. "Listen, I've been thinking…"

"Uh oh." She teased softly.

He sat down beside her. "Yeah. Dangerous, I know."

He prepared another syringe. "I can leave the field and still stay out of phase, right?"

She grimaced as he injected the morphine into her leg.

"So I was thinking I'd take some C4 and plant it around the village, come back here, use the explosions as a distraction to—"

She shook her head as she tried to collect her senses.

"What? You haven't heard the rest of the plan."

"You can't leave the device here." She insisted.

"Well, I was gonna save some C4 for that as well."

"You cannot sacrifice the device for me." She said, seriously. "It is still our best chance against the Ori."

"No offense, but that gizmo's not showing a whole lot of promise right now."

Dammit, she thought to herself. Why didn't her superiors listen to her? "It'll work." She managed, emotionally. "It just wasn't ready for this." She paused as she thought of Jack and everything she was leaving behind. "I'm probably not gonna make it, either way."

"No! Don't you start to talk like that."

"Cam… you have to face the fact that I'm gonna die here." She murmured.

"No, I don't have to face that fact, because I am not gonna let it happen."

"I appreciate that," she whispered as tears slipped down her cheeks as she tried to convince him to leave her behind. "But the truth is, even if you manage to create a distraction and destroy the device, you are never gonna get me to the gate by yourself."

"Yes I will."

"Not alive." She whispered.

He closed his eyes and put his hand to his head. "Look, Sam, I am not going to go back to Stargate Command and tell General O'Neill that you didn't make it."

"Cam..." She murmured weakly.

"I have gotten so many phone calls from that man whenever you've been in danger, and I refuse to get a phone call from him chewing my ass off because I didn't get you the help you needed."

She managed a drowsy half-smile. "I love him," she murmured.

"Yeah, well the feeling seems to be mutual," he chuckled. "I mean, the guy almost killed me after I got us captured by the Lucian Alliance that first time..."

"Tried..." She struggled. "To...stop...him..."

"Get some rest," he urged. "I'll be right here finding a way to get you home."

Almost instantly, she was asleep.

**-**

She tossed and turned in the restlessness of a drug-induced sleep as snippets of memories overwhelmed her subconscious.

"_I want you," she moaned as she grabbed him and kissed him again._

"_Why? I mean no!" He cried with the sound of his lips muffled by her lips as he finally pushed her away._

"_Carter, this is a little out of line, don't you think?"_

_She grabbed him again, slamming him against the bench. "Want me?" She asked as she kissed him again, more aggressively._

"_No. No, not like this, for crying out loud." He managed, still fighting against her._

_The scene changed again, and they were standing in the forest, and he held her ex-fiance's bible in his hand._

"_Look, I'm no expert on this thing." He said, waving the bible. "I generally remember one commandment, and I think it's the first."_

_"I am the Lord your God, and you shall take no other Gods before me?" She quoted as she'd done many years before in her Catholic sunday school._

"_Okay, it's not the first one." He corrected. "I'm talking about the "No Killing" one. No matter what the reason, every time you break it, you take one step closer to Hanson."_

"_Thanks." She whispered with a sad smile._

_Suddenly, she was sitting before a fire. "What a relief. I have never been so happy to see you guys."_

"_Oh, sure you have!" He cried with a gleeful grin. "Remember that time on P3X-595? You drank that stuff that made you take off…"_

"_Ahem. We won't get into that now." She said, glaring at him._

"_We've got to get out of here!" She cried, hysterically, now in the familiar cement rooms of the SGC._

_Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Carter!"_

"_Oh my God, Colonel." She whispered as she returned to reality. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "We left him behind! Left him behind!"_

"_I know." He said, pulling her into his strong embrace. "It's all right. We're going back…We're going back."_ "_Sir, I just wanted to say…" She whispered, emotionally. "When you were lying there, I…I'm really glad you're okay." She began to cry, and Jack took a step toward her. "Come here."_ _She clung to him as she wept on his shoulder._ _The sight of her dying father filled her vision as she felt a strong arm slide across her shoulders._ "_Thank you, Sir." She whispered, looking over at him as she reached up onto her shoulder and held his hand with her own._ "_For what?" He asked, curiously._ "_For being here for me."_ "_Always." He murmured, sincerely._ _Suddenly, she was back on the Prometheus, sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. _ "_What if I quit the Air Force?" She asked, looking at the hallucination. "Would that change anything or is it just an excuse?"_ "_I would never ask you to give up your career." He said, seriously._ "_Because you don't feel anything for me?"_ "_Carter?"_ "_I'd let you go right now if I knew." She whispered._ "_That easy?" He asked, skeptically._ "_I didn't say it would be easy." She muttered, looking down at the ground._

"Hey!" The familiar voice interrupted as someone touched her arm. "Carter, wake up! No sleeping."

"My laptop." She murmured weakly as she returned to consciousness. "There's a file."

"You want me to get it?"

She shook her head.

"In my personal directory. Letters mostly."

"Sam..."

"There's one to Cassie…" She'd written about how much she would have loved to have a daughter as wonderful and as compassionate and as fun loving as the twenty-one-year-old. "...some other people..." Daniel, Teal'c, Mark...Jack... "Password's "fishing.""

"Ah, see?" Mitchell said, sitting on the metal case beside her cot. "Now you're gonna have to change the password. Sam, don't give up on me. You've gotta think of my position here. I worked my ass off to get this team back together. Now we've lost…" He paused as she turned a sad eye to him. "Well, we've lost Jackson. I can't lose you, too."

"I spent my entire life dedicated to science." She whispered, remembering the many days when she'd questioned the validity of the Catholicism her mother had held so dearly to her heart. "Spent the last ten years, trying to convince people they believed in false gods." She sighed. "I don't feel like science is gonna help me. Right now, I'm just hoping somewhere one of those gods…"

"My grandma used to say, "God is like a prairie windstorm. If you look too hard, you get dust in your eyes, but there's still plenty of ways to know it's there.""

"Is that what you believe?" Sam asked, looking over at him.

"I generally just nodded until she gave me a macaroon. There is one thing that I do know is true. The mind is a powerful thing. No matter who or what you believe in, sometimes belief itself makes all the difference in the world. You just don't give up. Tell yourself whatever you have to. Just believe you're gonna make it, Sam."

She sighed as she closed her eyes again. She was so tired and weak. Surely the end was near...

-

"Where is she?" Jack demanded as he tore through the corridors of the SGC, heading for the infirmary.

"Sir,: Cam said, standing from where he sat beside an uncharacteristically sober Vala outside one of the operating rooms.

"Where the hell is she, Mitchell?" Jack roared.

"Sir, she's in surgery." He said, calmly.

"How the hell could you have let this happen?" Jack cried after taking a moment to breathe.

Cameron Mitchell stood, steadfastly, knowing that the two-star General was not looking for excuses, but some place to put the blame. Even for just a moment.

"How many times has she pulled your ass out of the fire, Mitchell?" He asked, getting into the Lieutenant Colonel's face. "And you repay her by letting an enemy shoot her?"

"O'Neill," Teal'c reprimanded gently from behind him.

Jack whirled around. "What happened out there, T?"

"I assure you, O'Neill. Nothing could have been done. Or Colonel Mitchell would have done it." Teal'c explained stoically.

Jack sighed as he closed his eyes. He looked back at Cam, who was still standing as rigidly as a recently reprimanded cadet. "At ease, Colonel. That was out of line. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for, sir. Colonel Carter is a valuable member of the team."

Jack slumped into one of the chairs. "Yeah..." He sighed. He looked up at Teal'c. "How long has she been in there?"

"A few hours, sir." Mitchell said, soberly. "I'm sure we'll get news any..."

"Colonel Mitchell?" Dr. Lam asked, walking out of the OR as she pulled the mask from her face and the gloves from her hands.

"Yes?" He asked, standing along with the other members of SG-1.

"We're finished."

"And?" Jack asked, soberly.

She looked over at him, biting the inside of her cheek. "We're cautiously optimistic, sir."

"Cautiously?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The blast went clean through which is good when you're dealing with a bullet, but considerably more dangerous when you're dealing with an energy weapon." She explained. "There was some damage done to her spleen and to her left kidney. Luckily, there was hardly any damage done to her left ovary and her intestines."

"The damage...will it be okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. She'll need to take it easy for a few weeks, but at this point, I would imagine she'll be just fine."

"When can we see her?"

"Not for a few hours." Lam said, shaking her head. "And even then, only one at a time."

Vala opened her mouth, and Cam raised his hand before he turned to Jack. "You should stay here and go in when it's time."

Jack looked over at Cam as he released the breath that had been trapped in his lungs. "I'm not on the team anymore..."

"I'm sure she'd rather see you than any of the rest of us. Especially now that...Jackson is..."

"Gone?" Jack supplied.

Cam nodded, soberly.

"As long as you don't mind..."

"Go, O'Neill." Teal'c nodded.

Jack looked at Vala, who had gotten the hint by now. "I'm sure she'd love to see you more than me." She said, managing a brave smile.

"Well, she can't have visitors right now, so I'm going to see if I can't call Cassie and let her know what's going on." He said with a small sigh.

"Allow me," Teal'c said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder to stop him. "You must remain here and await word of Colonel Carter's condition."

Jack managed a grateful smile. "Thanks, T. I owe you one."

-

Sam's eyes fluttered open a few hours later to feel a familiar calloused hand holding her right hand. She turned her head slowly to find his head lying on the bed beside her. She smiled softly as she gently squeezed his hand.

Almost instantly, he was up, blinking as he tried to reorient himself to his surroundings.

"Hi, sleepyhead," Sam murmured, serenely.

"Hey," he said, looking over at her. "How you feeling?"

"Drugged up..." She said with a wry smile. "But better than before."

"Good."

"How about you?" She asked, seriously. "You look like you've been to hell and back."

"I'm okay," he said, brushing away her concern.

"Have you eaten?" She asked, seriously.

"I told you. I'm fine."

"Jack..."

"Sam."

"It's nice to see you," she admitted.

"Good to see you awake."

"I'm going to be fine." She said, looking up at him.

"Of course you are."

"I didn't think I'd make it this far..." She admitted. "I kept trying to tell Cam to leave me behind and save Merlin's device."

"Without you, that device would be worthless."

"Not true, Jack." Sam said, looking up at him. "Sweet, but not true."

He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, gently.

"When did you get here?"

"About four hours after Mitchell called."

"How long are you here for?"

"Until you're back on your feet."

"Jack, you're an Air Force General with enormous..."

"Damn the responsibility, Sam." He said, angrily. "I almost lost you out there. That was a hell of a lot closer than it's ever been."

"I know." She said, soberly. "I was there, remember?"

"I'm not leaving your side until I know we're out of the woods, and even then, it's going to be hard to pry me away."

"Jack, we need you."

He looked at her, waiting for her explanation.

"I need you." She continued. "And while it would be nice to come home to you every night, right now, I need you in Washington."

He raised an eyebrow.

"This whole situation could have been avoided if Landry and the IOA had listened to me when I told them that the device wasn't ready for this scale of testing." She said, soberly. "We need someone to be a voice of reason."

"Sam, I'm the last person you need there." He sighed, standing in nervous agitation. "I agreed with them."

"But you would have given my report more than a passing thought." She said, seriously. "Because unlike the IOA and unlike Landry, you've been out there. Yes, you've been out there with me and with Teal'c and with..." She paused for a moment. "Daniel. And so you know our strengths and weaknesses better than they could ever hope to know, but it's more than that. If Reynolds came directly to you with concerns about a mission, you would think his proposal through more than Landry and the IOA." She swallowed. "I need you there to remind them that we know what we're doing. And to counter the overall naivety of the new members of the team until they get a handle of the ropes."

He sighed as he sat down on the bed beside her. "Sam..."

"But if you don't come on the weekends, I'll never forgive you," she whispered with shining eyes.

Without a thought of who could see, he leaned over and kissed her forehead as he caressed her cheek with his hand. "I'll be there, Sam. Every weekend."

"I'll hold you to that." She said with watery soberness.

He smiled as he studied her face affectionately. It was only a few moments before her eyelids began drooping again.

"Sleep, my angel," he whispered as he kissed her forehead again, using the one nickname he'd afforded himself in their most intimate moments. "I'll be here when you wake."

"Just a little longer..." She murmured as she began to slip back into the dreamless sleep brought on by pain medication.

-

"How is she?" Mitchell asked, looking at the General as he walked out of the infirmary.

"Sleeping. She woke up for a few minutes, but she slipped back to sleep before I could say anything about you guys staying out here."

"Hey, no pressure." Mitchell said, shaking his head. "Take your time."

"May I retrieve anything for you, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, looking over.

"I'm fine, T."

"Have you had anything to eat yet, sir?" Mitchell asked, seriously.

"I'm fine, Mitchell."

"I can bring a tray down for you, sir."

Jack sighed. "All right. Tuna fish sandwich..."

"Anything else?"

"Uh...jello."

"What kind?"

"Blue."

"Anything else?"

"Pie."

"Okay." He said, turning.

Jack pressed his hands to his face as he blew out air in his lungs in a noisy huff.

"Are you unwell, O'Neill?"

He shook his head as he looked over at Teal'c. "What'd Cassie say?"

"She assured me that she would make arrangements to arrive within the next few days." Teal'c informed.

"She doesn't need to come right now. She should stay for her classes..."

"I attempted to convince her of the same, but she insisted upon her plans."

Jack nodded. "Doesn't surprise me. You know how close they are."

"Like mother and daughter," Teal'c agreed.

"How long are you here for, sir?" Vala asked, looking at the gray-haired man.

"Dunno." He shrugged. "Depends on how long it takes me to feel like she's actually on the mend."

"While I am certain that Colonel Carter would appreciate your company," Teal'c began. "I am unsure that she would wish for you to shirk your responsibilities as a leader of your people."

"Which is why I'm not staying until she's completely better." Jack said, pointedly. "I can do what I need to do from here for a few days. And if they need me face-to-face, I can commute."

"With the beaming technology on the _Prometheus_, _Odyssey_, or _Daedelus_." Vala caught on.

He nodded. "Exactly."

Mitchell turned around the corner with a tray in hand. "General O'Neill, sir, your lunch."

"Thanks, Mitchell." Jack said, accepting the tray. He sighed as he looked back toward the infirmary door.

"Take the tray in. I'm sure Dr. Lam won't mind." Mitchell suggested.

"But you guys wanted to-"

"We have reports to write." He said, shaking his head. "Besides, we see her all the time. You? Not so much..."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed.

Jack inhaled softly before he looked over at the Lieutenant Colonel. "You know, Mitchell, you're not so bad."

"Thank you, sir."

"Maybe I'll go try to convince Dr. Lam not to entirely confiscate Carter's laptop from her."

"That thing has healing powers." Mitchell agreed with a smile.

Jack smiled appreciatively. "To Samantha Carter? You better believe it."

"Tell her we're rootin' for her."

He nodded. "Sure thing, Mitchell."

-

"Sam!" Cassie cried as Jack escorted her into the infirmary.

"Cassie!" Sam greeted, enthusiastically.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I could use a gentle hug." Sam teased.

"Right," she said, reaching over and gingerly embracing Sam.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Sam admitted.

"I got in my car the minute I got off the phone with Teal'c."

"You didn't have to do that," Sam admonished gently.

"No, but you did it for me, and I wanted to be there for you like you were there for me."

Sam nodded slowly. "You're a good kid, you know that?"

"I try." She winked.

"So, you're feeling better?" Jack asked, sitting down in the chair beside her bed.

"Much." She said, nodding. "I'm still on some pain meds, but I think I've started to clear the anesthetics from surgery."

"You look a little more clear-headed." He agreed.

"I feel it." She said, turning an affectionate smile to him.

"Good."

Sam turned back to Cassandra. "How long do you think you'll be in town for?"

"Dunno. I've gotten a few of my classmates to record classes for me so that I can keep up with my classes while I'm gone."

"Which means..."

"Which means that I can be here until you don't need me anymore."

"Cass..."

"Don't even think of trying to talk me out of this, Sam."

Sam sighed as she shook her head. "You're the most stubborn person I know..."

"Learned from two of the best." She grinned as she looked at both Sam and Jack.

They looked at one another before they shook their heads. "Don't know what you're talking about, Cass." Jack teased.

"I'm sure you don't," she chuckled.

Jack looked over at Sam. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"I got you laptop privileges." He grinned.

"You spoil me," she teased.

He shrugged. "Yes, well..."

Cassie shook her head as she look at the couple. "You two are something else..."

"Why thank you." Sam beamed.

"I must warn you," Jack said as he cleared his throat. "You only get a couple of hours a day to start, and your activities will be rather limited."

"Oh?" She asked with an amused smile.

"Yeah. You can check your personal email, and I think I convinced her to let you use that thing..." He looked over at Cassie. "What is it again?"

"Skype." She supplied.

"Right. Skype..."

"Skype?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah. Apparently, you can...send instant messages on it...or something..."

Sam tried to hide her silent chuckles as she looked at him and shook her head.

"What?"

"You can do what's called a "video chat" on Skype. Like...the video conferences we did when I was on _Prometheus_."

"Sweet!"

"I'll help you figure it out." She smiled. "Assuming, of course, that you brought your laptop."

"Uh..."

"Maybe next weekend, then." She winked.

"Hey, Cass, why don't you have T take you down to the commissary." Jack said, looking back at the younger woman.

"Uh...well, I am a little hungry..." She said, confused.

"I'm sure that Teal'c or Vala or Mitchell can take you down to the commissary and get you something to eat."

"O...kay..." She said, standing. "Sam, I'll see you later."

"Have some jello for me, okay?" Sam chuckled.

"Sure thing." She grinned as she walked off.

"So, what's on your mind?" Sam asked, looking over at Jack.

"Huh?"

"You sent Cassie out of here so that we could talk or at least that's what it looked like. So...what did you want to talk about?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak as one of the nurses walked over. "All right, Colonel, how are you feeling today?"

Sam looked over. "Much better, thank you."

The nurse looked over at Jack. "I'm sorry, sir," she apologized. "But you're going to have to leave while we examine the wound."

"Oh....right..." Jack said with a small sigh.

"Can the examination wait a few minutes?" Sam asked the nurse after noticing his look.

"Uh..." The nurse said, looking from Sam to Jack and back to Sam. "Well, I guess I can get a cup of coffee or stitch Sergeant Siler up.."

"Is he here?"

"No, but he's a regular. We're expecting him any minute." The nurse chuckled as she walked off.

Sam smiled in appreciation as she looked over at Jack. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Maybe this isn't the best time..." He murmured, hesitantly.

"Uh...okay..." She said, surprised.

"I always thought I'd do this with...candles...and...flowers..."

"Jack?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Look...my knee's no good, so...I can't exactly do that whole thing..."

She gasped as she realized what he was about to do. "Oh my go...Jack..."

"Look," he continued, too focused to hear what she was saying. "I know your job is uncertain and all of that...I mean, I've been in your shoes before..."

She started to feel nauseous from the medications she was taking. "Jack..."

"I just mean..." He continued.

"Jack," she moaned.

He finally heard the distress in her voice. "Yeah?"

"I'm gonna be sick..."

"Oh." He said, quickly reaching for and offering her the nearest bowl.

Almost instantly, she released the contents of her stomach into the bowl. He offered her a paper towel to wipe her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, looking over at him. "I know what you were trying to do, and this...wasn't exactly the most romantic of circumstances."

"Hey, I can do it again," he said, running his fingers through her hair affectionately. "You gonna be okay?"

She nodded. "I think it was just the medication."

"Let me go get a nurse, okay?"

She managed a grateful smile as she nodded.

He stood, and she caught his hand in her own. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be so nervous next time." She said with a small half-smile. "I'll probably say yes."

He grinned. "Be right back."

She watched him go, wondering for a moment what it would be like to come home to him every night. Her face softened into a smile as she realized that it would be a dream come true. And unlike with Pete and Jonas, she didn't have the slightest doubt that Jack was the man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

Dr. Lam approached. "I hear you're feeling a little queasy, Colonel."

Sam nodded slowly. "Uh...that's a bit of an understatement."

Lam smiled. "Let's see what we can do about that."

"I'd appreciate it. I've got an Air Force general who's trying to hide how thoroughly grossed out he is."

"Hey!" Jack called from where he stood across the room.

Sam smiled as Lam turned. "General O'Neill, I'm sorry, but you need to leave. We'll let you know when she's ready for visitors again."

"D'oh!"

"So, are you two...special friends?" Lam asked with a wry chuckle as she returned her attention to her patient.

"Uh...yeah. We're really great friends." Sam grinned. "And he's really special to me."

"That's what I thought," she laughed. "Now, let's get you back on your feet."


	10. Recuperation

"Look what I found in Denver," Cassie teased as she walked in the door of Sam's apartment.

Sam looked up from where she'd been sitting on the couch as she worked on her laptop to find Jack stepping in the front door. "Jack." She grinned.

"Hey," he said with a charming smile of his own as he set his small suitcase in the entry alcove and walked over to kiss her quickly. "You look good."

"You mean, you like it when you come to a woman sitting on the couch, her feet up, her hair a mess, and no makeup?" She teased.

"Ha ha..." He said, sarcastically.

She winked, cheekily, before she made space for him beside her on the couch. "How was your flight?"

"Not bad."

"You're certainly racking up the frequent flyer miles," she said, affectionately.

"Okay...and that's my cue to go write my paper." Cassie laughed.

"Oh, Cass, I'm sorry!" Sam apologized.

"Nah. I really do have a paper to write," she smiled.

"Why don't I take you both out to a movie?"

"Tomorrow." Cassie said, seriously. "I really need to get started on this paper."

"Okay." He said, nodding. "But tomorrow, I'm taking you to a movie."

"Looking forward to it," Cassie grinned as she bounded back to the guest room.

"That girl needs a life," Jack laughed as he looked back at Sam.

She giggled, softly. "You say that because she would rather write a paper than hang out with you?"

"Ouch!"

"Well, you have to admit, Jack, she is twenty-one. And in college."

"So, I'm good enough for you, but not for her?" He teased.

"Well, I'm special. I have an affinity for...older men and authority figures..." She said with teasing seduction.

"And...you're still recovering from surgery," he groaned.

She laughed before she touched abdomen with a grimace.

"You okay?"

"Fine." She said, nodding. "Laughing just...hurts...sometimes."

"I'll try not to make you laugh," he said, soberly.

"I'd much rather laugh and feel a little pain than never to laugh at all," she said, seriously, as she looked over at him.

"Sam?"

"Yes?" She asked, looking up at him.

He hesitated for a moment before he inhaled and looked away from her for a moment, reaching into his pocket.

Her gaze followed his sight line, and she saw the small velvet box in his fingers. She looked up into his eyes as he looked back at her. "Samantha, I..."

"Yes?" She asked, softly.

"You feeling okay?" He asked, studying her with a wry smile on his lips.

She grinned before she nodded. "I'm fine."

"You're sure."

She chuckled as she nodded. "Yeah."

He inhaled as he took her hands in his. "Sam, I have cared for you for years now, and while we have had some good times, the last year and a half of spending every moment of my free time with you has been one of the best of my entire life."

She smiled at the memories that his words had invoked. "Mine too," she admitted, softly.

"You've been with me at some of my best moments, and you've been with me at most of my worst." He said, seriously. "And I want you to be there for the rest of them."

He revealed the modest diamond ring, and she inhaled softly. "I've had a lot of awards bestowed on me for my military service, but I would give them all up if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife."

She had tears moistening her eyes as she looked up at him with a tender smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

"So...yes?" He asked, confused.

She grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes, Jack, yes," she whispered as she leaned in to kiss him gently.

He grinned as she pulled away before he pulled the ring from the box. "So...do you want this?"

She laughed. "Yes, Jack, I would love to wear your ring." She sobered slightly. "At least...when I'm not, you know, at work where it could be blown up, or running from the bad guys or..."

"Stop." Jack said, touching her lips.

She smiled affectionately. "That ring isn't leaving me. I may not be able to wear it on my finger at work, but I'll keep it close to my heart, and when I'm not on duty, it will be on my finger."

"Would it be too archaic for me to put this on your finger?" Jack asked, looking over at her.

"No," she smiled. "I think it would be quite appropriate under the circumstances."

"What would be appropriate under what circumstances?" Cassie asked from the hallway as Jack slipped the ring onto his new fiance's finger.

Sam looked at Jack before she looked over at the twenty-one-year-old as she lifted her left hand.

"AH!" Cassie cried, running to the happy couple.

"Remember the stitches," Sam grimaced as she braced for impact with a small chuckle.

"Oh, right..." Cassie said, somewhat sheepish as she caught herself before hitting Sam. She offered Sam a considerably more gentle hug before she hugged Jack tightly. "Is that why you were throwing me out of the infirmary two weeks ago?" She asked, hitting Jack's arm playfully.

"Maybe..." The Air Force general said with a small look of chagrin.

"I threw up." Sam said, shaking her head. "So, it didn't actually happen then."

"No, this is brand-new." Jack grinned.

"YES!" Cassie cried, excitedly.

Sam smiled as she looked at the ring on her finger before she looked over at Jack. "This is the best surprise you've ever given me."

"Some surprise!" He laughed. "You knew two weeks ago."

She grinned before she sobered. "That's what you went to Malibu for!"

He beamed.

"To ask my brother's permission to marry me?"

"More like his blessing..." He admitted.

"And he gave it?" Sam asked, surprised.

"After I promised to convince his son that there were other careers out there as cool as being in the Air Force..."

Sam raised her eyebrows.

"Don't ever say I don't love you more than the Air Force." He said, dramatically.

"I would never say that, Jack," she said, softly. "Though you have every reason to say that to me."

"Hey." He said, seriously, as he touched his finger to her chin and forced her to look up at him. "How many times do I have to tell you? You're...practically a national treasure with everything you know and all that you do for our country. I can handle sitting backseat once in a while."

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she reached over and interlocked her fingers with his. "Have I ever told you that you're too good to me?"

"Don't even start that," he murmured as he leaned over and kissed her gently.

A sudden cough caused them to look back at Cassie.

"Sorry," Sam blushed.

"'Sokay. I'm in college."

"Woohoo! We're making out like college students!" Jack grinned.

"Not making out, Jack," Sam said, shaking her head.

"Yes, well...I had hoped..."

Sam laughed as Cassie quickly changed the subject. "So, any thoughts on the wedding?"

Sam looked over at Jack with a coy smile as memories of the wedding that Vala had suggested came to mind.

"Oh no..." Jack said, shaking his head emphatically.

"Why not?" She asked with a playful smile.

"Uh, because as you reminded me, recently...you couldn't ask about my health when I was sick because you were afraid that Landry would figure it out..."

She grimaced. "Well, that may still be a problem, but...uh...Mitchell isn't anymore..."

"What does that mean?"

"Things may have been said...when I was...delirious..."

"What did you say?"

"I may have told him that I love you."

"You haven't even told Daniel and Teal'c in that many words!"

"Again...delirious..." She continued.

He chuckled as Cassie looked between the two of them and shook her head. "I don't know about the rest of the folks at the SGC, but I highly doubt that with a new and shiny piece of jewelry such as that engagement ring, someone's bound to notice that Sam's engaged."

"And that's all they need to know," Sam smiled. "Until...Jack or I decide that we've been as useful as we can be for the Program."

"You're never going to get married," Cassie groaned, hitting her forehead with her hand as she left the room.

"Well, I wouldn't say never." Sam laughed.

"Never say never," Jack agreed.

"Besides, one of us would have to still be somewhat useful if we're going to have that off-world wedding," she teased.

"Sam!"

"What?"

"I've done a lot of things off world, and if you remember. Marriage was one of them."

She chortled before she clapped a hand to mouth to hide her laugh.

"Are you laughing at how I went all "old man" on you?"

"It is only for you," she quoted with a deadpanned expression.

He threw her a look and she tried to school her features into a sympathetic look, but she failed miserably.

"Aw, laugh all you want." He groaned. "At least now you have an idea of what I'm going to look like when I'm a hundred years old."

"As long as you don't laugh at the gray in my hair or the wrinkles on my face, I won't tease you about your looks when they start to fade."

He grinned as he leaned in to kiss her again. "Deal."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Cassie cried, hurrying back to the guest room. "Remind me not to visit for the first twenty years of your wedded bliss...it'll take that long before you get all of that out of your systems."

Sam grinned. "Think so?"

"Are you kidding? It'll be at least fifty!" Jack teased.

"That sounds better." She smiled as she cuddled next to him. "And to think we can do this for the rest of our lives..."

"And maybe into another plane of existence if we all follow Danny's example." He quipped as Sam sobered with thoughts of her MIA friend.

"Oh, Sam," he said, realizing what he'd just said. "I..."

"I'm okay." She said, shaking her head. "I just...Adria could be doing anything to him right now."

He squeezed her gently before kissing the top of her head. "I know, Sam, but I also know that she's not going to do anything to him because he's too valuable."

She bit her lip. "Maybe not anything permanent..."

"He'll be fine, Sam. He's tough...er..."

She managed a smile in appreciation of what he was trying to do before she sobered again and rested her cheek on his shoulder.

"He'll come back, Sam," he assured. "It's what he does."

"Waiting for us to say a bunch of nice things about him?" She recalled with a watery smile.

"Something like that." He whispered as he wrapped his other arm around her to comfort her.

"I just wish there was something I could do to help..."

"Get better. That's the best thing you can do for him right now." He said, soberly. "Let Mitchell, Vala and Teal'c search for a few weeks until you're ready to jump into the search with both feet."

"You're right as usual."

"Yeah...that Dr. Phil knows his stuff," Jack winked.

She smiled softly before she sighed. "I'm tired, Jack."

"Then take a nap."

"No...of this...of leaving people behind..."

He sighed softly. "I know, Sam."

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

"I really wish there was," he admitted. "But all we can do is our best, and hope that it's good enough."

"It certainly has been for the last nine and a half years."

He nodded. "Precisely. Have faith in that much."

She bit the inside of her cheek. Faith, she sighed softly. She rested against Jack's shoulder as she thought about the word and ideology of faith. With all of her work, she should have been less confused about the issue than she was. But now, more than ever, she wondered if there wasn't something higher than even the Ancients. Something that deserved to be recognized as a supreme being.

"Sam?" Jack asked, noticing her seriousness.

"How do you feel about religion?"

"As in...Earth-based religions?"

"As in...I was raised a Catholic, and I'm thinking I might want to go back..."

"Oh."

"What do you think?"

"Why do you want to go back?"

She sighed. "I think...I think science might not be the answer to everything."

He raised an eyebrow before he inhaled. "Well, then, I think you should go to church. If you like it, do it again."

"And you?"

"I would support you. Might even go to church with you."

"But?"

"But I'm still a little ambivalent about the whole "God" thing..."

"I see."

"But who knows?" He asked, more lightly. "If you're admitting that science might not be the only answer, maybe I can admit that, uh, God needed Charlie more than I did."

"Or maybe you can look at what God made from the ashes of Charlie's death," she whispered, philosophically. "A man who could save the entirety of the human race on more than one occasion."

"Never thought about it that way," Jack admitted.

"I stopped going to church after my mom died. Or rather, my dad stopped going to church after my mom died." She confessed. "I was crushed at first, and when I went to college, I went to church on holidays and sometimes I'd catch mid-week Mass, but...then, we started bringing down false gods."

"Keyword, Sam: false." Jack interjected.

"I know..." She said, nodding. "But sometimes, being that I'm a scientist and like concrete answers, I found it hard to believe that there's a being out there that I can't see who holds my fate in his hands."

"Everyone at least has moments," he agreed.

"You're right," she said after a minute. "We should go once before we decide to make this a habit or not."

"This weekend? While we're looking for churches for the wedding?"

Sam threw him a wry smile as she chuckled softly. "This weekend, yes. As for churches for the wedding? Nah. I'm so going to be beamed up to the Odyssey or Prometheus or something."

He grinned. "Anything you want, you got it."

"And don't you forget it," she teased, more lightheartedly.


	11. The Road Not Taken

Sam's eyes darted from the computer screens to the laptop and naquadah generator.

"Hey, Sam how…" Mitchell asked, causing her to turn.

"Wait!"

Her warning was too late, and he hit the force shield.

"Ow!"

She winced. "Oh! Sorry."

She quickly input the command to turn off the force shield.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Force shield. Didn't you see my sign?" She asked, seriously.

"No!" He cried as he entered the room. He reached for the paper from the edge of the table. "Yes!" He held it in front of her. "You mean, this sign?"

She chuckled softly. "That was supposed to be out…"

"Yeah, I got that. Is there any particular reason why you turned this place into Fort Knox?"

"I'm attempting to rewrite the safety protocols on Merlin's device so we can take even larger areas out of phase." She said, looking back at the computer screens. "I set up a two way force shield to restrict the range of the device and to ensure that nobody entered the field accidentally."

She chuckled as she remembered how he'd hit the field.

"Yep. Very effective."

She sobered. "Any news on Daniel?"

"No, the latest sighting by the Jaffa turned out to be a false alarm. But Teal'c just got back, so we are going to grab some lunch and go over the report." He said, grabbing her arm as he tried to pull her away from her work.

She stayed put as she raised an index finger in his direction. "Okay, just let me run one more test!"

"No."

"It'll only take a minute, I promise. You can watch from up there." She said, pointing to the observation room.

He looked at it and then at her. "I'm going to be timing you."

"Mm-hmm." She said, somewhat absently as she waved him away and returned to her work. As he left, she activated the force shield again.

Cam tapped his watch from where he stood in the observation room. She smiled and waved before she took herself out of phase. She smiled proudly before she heard a strange sound, causing her to look at each of the components of the device. She quickly adjusted the leads on Merlin's device before she noticed an unusual glow coming from near the naquadah reactor. She pulled her hands back somewhat worriedly as she was pulled into the growing light.

Then, everything went black.

-

Consciousness came suddenly as she felt the coldness of the cement on her cheek. She groaned as she heard the klaxons wailing in warning of a disaster – and it was probably in warning of this disaster.

She saw the scorch marks before she finally looked up at the observation room to find it empty. The sound of voices outside the door caused Sam to quickly turn off the force shield as Dr. Lee and a guard entered.

The scientist looked around the lab in surprise. "Major, uh, are you okay? We-we heard an explosion."

"Yeah, I'm fine…" She said, nodding before her brow furrowed. "Did you just call me "Major"?"

Evan Lorne hurried into the lab. "Sam, thank God you're okay. Where's Dr. Bennett?"

"Major Lorne, what are you doing here?" She asked, confused.

"Whaddya mean?" He asked, confused.

She laughed nervously. "You're supposed to be on Atlantis."

"Sam, what are you talking about?" He asked, shaking his head.

"You're on assignment in the Pegasus Galaxy." She explained.

Bill Lee looked from Sam to the equipment, looking clearly confused as she looked from Lorne to Lee, hoping that this was all a joke.

"Uh, are you sure you're okay? Because I work here. Remember?…As leader of SG-1." Lorne finally stated.

Her eyebrows raised in shock.

**-**

"So, why are you here?" Major Lorne asked, sitting across the table from her.

"I didn't do it on purpose, believe me." She said, seriously. She was getting a migraine.

"What about that machine you brought with you?"

"It demolecularizes matter and transports it to another dimension." She explained.

"Well, there you go."

"No, no, this is different!" She protested. "Look, according to M theory, there are a fixed number of alternate dimensions existing in parallel with our known universe. The multiverse theory, on the other hand, posits the existence of an infinite number of alternate universes, each evolving concurrently with our own."

"Well, is there a universe out there somewhere where you're giving me a straight answer?"

She sighed, getting more and more frustrated. "Look, there must be some reason why I was brought here, of all places. I need to know what was happening in that lab."

"I'm not authorized to give you that information."

She groaned. "Okay, maybe I could talk to Daniel. Is he here?"

"Dr. Jackson was captured by the forces of the Ori several weeks ago."

"Okay, what about Col. Mitchell? Cameron Mitchell?"

"The 302 pilot? Went down over Antarctica?"

"That's right." She said, somewhat hopefully. "Is he here?"

"I have no idea where he is. The last I heard, he quit the military."

"Teal'c!? Vala?"

"Teal'c went back to the Jaffa several years ago, and if you're talking about Vala Mal Doran, I hate to break it to you, but she is currently occupying a cell at Area 51. Care to take a stab at anyone else?"

She leaned back in her chair, thinking desperately. If Lorne was on SG-1, then Jack wasn't on the base, and they'd never let her see a two-star General. Finally, she leaned forward. "At least let me see the surveillance footage from the lab. There may be a clue."

He didn't react, though he looked over at the camera which was pointed at her. She looked at him before she looked up at the camera. "Look, I know you want your Carter back as much as I want to go home, but we stand a much better chance of figuring this out if we work together."

**-**

It was only a few minutes before Dr. Lee returned with a small video cart. "We've been instructed to show you the footage you requested," he said in explanation.

She tensed as he began the tape of the surveillance footage.

"We're getting a power spike!" A scientist, presumably this Dr. Bennett, announced.

"Capacitors are overloading. Shut it down." The alternate Carter announced as she began typing on a laptop as there was a blinding flash of light.

Sam winced as she watched the video tape.

"Override's not responding!" Bennett cried.

"Bennett, get out of here!" The alternate Carter cried as sparks flew.

Another flash caused the screen to go fuzzy as the cameras went offline.

"That's all we got." Lee explained. "Sensors indicate there was a massive explosion in the room. But when we opened the door, instead of finding charred remains, we found you."

"What were the capacitors for?" Sam asked, curiously.

The gray-haired scientist looked at Major Lorne, who nodded.

"Major Carter was developing a process by which we could extract energy from parallel universes."

"And you knew about this?" Sam asked, looking at Lorne.

"Uh, knowing and understanding, two totally different things."

"Ordinarily, this type of energy retrieval is extremely dangerous, leading to the creation of exotic particles in one or both universes." Lee continued.

Sam swallowed, remembering the reports she'd read on McKay's experiments. "I know, we've tried it."

"Oh." He said somewhat surprised. "Well our Major Carter found a way around that. She designed the machine so the bridge would only open for a microsecond. The idea was to steal small amounts of energy from thousands of different universes, thereby minimizing the fallout in any single one."

"Anyway, it doesn't entirely explain how you got here."

"That's true. The device was never designed to bring ordinary matter through the bridge."

"Well, I was conducting an experiment of my own. At the precise moment that your Carter tapped into my reality, the entire contents of my lab were out of phase, and they were being protected by a force shield."

"Oh my God! Well it-there's no telling what effect that would have on the inter-universal bridge."

"Well, presumably, it pulled me through and caused the capacitors on this side to overload."

She saw the look on Lee's face fall, soberly.

"Well, if it brought you here, is it possible that it sent our Carter to your universe?" Lorne asked, curiously.

Sam looked at the other scientist before she looked back at Lorne. "I'm sorry, it doesn't work that way."

**-**

She'd been left alone again, and she reached for her dog tags, upon which her new engagement ring had been strung. She sighed softly as she fingered it. "I'm getting back," she whispered. "I am going to get back."

She stuffed the tags back in her BDUs as she clasped her hands together nervously. The door opened, causing Sam to look up in surprise as Lorne entered, revealing George Hammond behind him. She stood in attention, somewhat surprised. "General Hammond!"

"Colonel."

"You're in command here?" She asked, surprised. Where was Jack?

"That's right."

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just a little strange." She admitted, sheepishly. "The General Hammond I know is retired from active service."

"Well, then he's a lucky man. Please…" He said, gesturing for her to sit.

She did so, as the men joined her at the interrogation table.

"I know this must be difficult for you, Colonel. It's difficult for us as well. In fact, the timing couldn't be worse."

"What do you mean?" She asked, curiously.

"Three weeks ago, the Ori attempted an attack on Earth."

"You survived an Ori attack?!" She asked, surprised.

"One ship. We fought them off with the Ancient chair. The ZPM was nearly depleted in the process."

"That's why our Major Carter was running that experiment. She was trying to bolster our power reserves with captured energy from other universes."

"And of course, you only have the one ZPM, cause you've never received new ones from Atlantis." She said, piecing the situation together in her mind.

Hammond exchanged a curious look with Lorne.

"Atlantis. You've mentioned them before. What is that?"

"It's a city of the Ancients in the Pegasus Galaxy. In my reality, we have an international contingent there."

"I don't know about your reality, Colonel, but in this world, there isn't much in the way of international cooperation. Three years ago, the Goa'uld system lord Anubis launched an attack on Earth. We had no choice but to reveal the existence of the Stargate program to the world."

"People panicked. There was rioting in the streets. The President had to declare martial law."

"The diplomatic fallout was even worse. You can imagine how the world's governments reacted when they realized the kind of technology being employed by the United States military."

"Mm-hmm. We barely got the chair out of Antarctica before the Russians moved in."

"Now it's at Area 51. But it isn't going to do us much good unless we can find a way to power it. And that's where you come in."

She grimaced. "You want me to complete your Carter's research."

"Major Lorne tells me you've been conducting similar research in your own universe."

"Well, yes sir. But, with all due respect, we're facing a very real threat in my universe. I need to start thinking about how to get back there."

"Let's say we agreed to help you get back, and gave you full access to the resources of this base. How long would it take?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even have a working theory yet."

"Well, are we talking weeks? Or maybe even months?"

She nodded with a small sigh. "Yeah, it's possible. That's why I need to get started right away."

Hammond shook his head. "I'm sorry, Colonel, but the fact is, we don't have that kind of time. Our intelligence indicates that having consolidated their position in this part of the galaxy, the Ori are assembling a fleet for a full scale attack on Earth. We expect them within five days."

She tensed before she inhaled. "Take me to the lab."

Hammond turned to Lorne and nodded.

She walked down the familiar corridors of the SGC with a small sigh. Part of her almost wanted to see Jack walking past. But the other part of her knew it would be that much harder to see Jack if she knew that he didn't know her. She had officially become one of the infinite alternate versions of Carters who was involved with Jack O'Neill. And with the many similarities she'd seen between this world and her own, she and Jack had probably never been in a relationship.

Finally, she reached the lab. "Where are your Carter's notes?" She asked almost instantly.

"Here." Lee said, retrieving a laptop. "I assume you could hack in faster than we could."

She smiled appreciatively. "Probably not, but we'll take a stab at it."

-

Sam sighed as she rubbed her eyes and looked back at the computer screen again. When she'd been excited to return back to work, she hadn't wanted to jump into something of this magnitude with both feet.

"Hey. How's it coming?" Lorne asked, walking into the lab.

She looked up in surprise. "Oh, okay, I guess." She sighed. "I was just about to run my first simulation."

"Hmph. You know, it's kinda weird seeing you in here." He admitted.

"It's a little weird being in here." She agreed.

"Yeah."

"It's the same, but it's different, you know?"

She looked at him for a moment before she crossed her arms in front of her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

She stood and retrieved the personal effects she'd found earlier.

"I found these pictures, and, uh, in them, she was wearing a wedding ring."

"Yeah, that must have been before the divorce."

"So…" She asked, pointing at the picture and then at the man in front of her.

"Oh, no-no-no-no. God, no. No, it was this dot com millionaire smartass named McKay."

"Not…Rodney McKay?" She asked, her eyes wide. Never in a million years had she expected that answer.

"Yeah. You have one too, huh? Is he a jerk in your universe?"

"Uh...Some people think so." She said, managing an uncomfortable smile.

"Sam always said there was a side of him that no one else saw."

She swallowed bile. Give her the sardonic and occasionally irreverent Jack O'Neill any day. "Uh...can I ask you another question?"

He nodded. "Sure."

She bit her lip for a moment. "Where's, uh, Colonel O'Neill?"

"Colonel who?"

"The guy who went on the first Abydos mission with Daniel Jackson?"

"His name wasn't O'Neill. It was Kawalski. He was killed about three years ago in a firefight with Anubis. Managed to save Doc Fraiser's life."

Sam tensed. "Janet Fraiser...is here?"

"Not anymore. She married some big shot documentary film producer and lives in California."

"What about Cassie?"

"Cassie..."

"Janet's adopted daughter?"

"Um...she doesn't have any kids." Lorne said, shaking his head. "I mean, there was a kid at the beginning of the Program that Sam wanted to adopt, but McKay didn't like kids, so she got shipped off somewhere else."

Sam swallowed. "So...there was no Jack O'Neill in the program?"

"Not to my knowledge." He said, shaking his head.

Her brow furrowed. What twisted reality had she found herself in?

-

"We owe you a debt of gratitude, Colonel." The President announced, happily.

"I'm glad I could help, sir." Sam grinned.

"I suppose now, you'll want to start working on a way to get back to your own universe." He said, seriously.

"I already have, actually," She said, nodding. "Although I'm not having much luck."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. In the meantime, there are a few people I'd like you to meet."

They walked into the Gate Room, and she was shocked to see the entire room filled with reporters. Flashes of various cameras blinded her as the hundreds of questions being thrown in her direction filled her head like static noise.

She looked at Landry somewhat worriedly before he leaned over to her with a satisfied grin. "Smile, you're a hero."

She managed a weak smile as she looked back at the mob. What had she gotten herself into?

-

Sam sat down in front of the computer terminal with a small sigh. With only a brief pause of hesitation, she began to type "Jack O'Neill" into the search engine. It took a few minutes of scanning through the results before she stopped as her blood ran coldly in her veins.

She clicked on the eleven year old article, and instantly, the headline came into view: "USAF Colonel Commits Suicide After Son Dies in Accidental Shooting". Underneath the headline, beside the article, was a picture of a younger Jack in his dress blues.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, of the United States Air Force, was found dead in his home on Tuesday morning by his wife, Sara. The Colonel's eight-year-old son, Charlie, had accidentally shot himself with O'Neill's .9 mm handgun three weeks earlier..."

Sam tensed as she felt hot tears sting her eyes as her vision blurred so that she could not read the rest of the article. No wonder no one on the base had heard of him.

"I remember reading about that," George Hammond said, walking into her lab. "It was a media circus for the Air Force."

Sam wiped at her eyes as she turned back to him. "I...know him..." She said, pointing to the screen. "In my world, he joined the Stargate Program instead of committing suicide."

She looked down at her hands. "Our General Hammond became very good friends with him over the years."

The General sighed softly, recognizing how hard it was for her to be in their universe.

"If you'll excuse me, General," she sighed softly. "I need to get back to work on getting back to my universe."

He nodded as she slipped past him.

-

Sam sighed as she sat in the back of the limousine, on her way to the Presidential celebratory soiree in honor of their recent success. She squirmed uncomfortably in the dress that the President's aides had given her. She felt like she had become a puppet; some doll who was being told what to wear, what to say, what to do and how to do it.

"What would you do, Jack?" She asked herself. "What would you do if someone was attaching puppet strings to you?"

She sighed. Kinsey had done that, and Jack had nearly gone to prison for it because of his animosity toward the Senator.

She turned on the television.

"I can't tell you how fortunate I am to have men and women like Major Carter on my team." Landry said, obviously pleased with himself. "And I'm confident that with their help and your continued support, we will prevail through the difficult times that lie ahead."

The scene changed to Julia Donovan's commentary on the clip. "That was the scene yesterday at Stargate Command as President Landry introduced the world to the Air Force Major responsible for the brilliant plan that saved the planet…"

Her cell phone rang, and she looked at it for a moment. Bill Lee, her caller ID read. She quickly turned off the television and opened the phone. "Bill, tell me you have good news!"

"The preliminary simulations were a bust. There's just no way we can replicate the conditions that originally brought you here. Not unless we can control the environment on both sides of the bridge."

Sam sighed. At this rate, she'd never get home. Not with all of the parties and functions the President was dragging her to. She needed to be working on the problem with Bill, not just feeding him her ideas through a telephone. "All right, I'll be back tomorrow. We can go over it then. Bye."

The limousine came to a stop as she put the phone into her purse, and she inhaled, trying to prepare herself for the crowd of reporters and paparazzi who were each ready at a moment's notice to snap a thousand pictures of her on her way into the White House.

The limousine door opened, and the driver and a guard helped to push her way through the throng. It wasn't hard to ignore the questions being flung in her direction – they were practically unintelligible with the number of reporters speaking out of turn to begin with.

Sam got into the Banquet Room of the White House, feeling more than a little out of place at the reception. Only a few moments later, one of the senators and his wife approached her. "Major, it's an honor. On behalf of the people of the great state of Idaho, thank you."

She managed an embarrassed smile. "Oh, well…you're very kind, sir."

"Keep up the good work, dear." His wife grinned.

"Thank you." She said as the senator and his wife left. She sighed softly as she looked around at the rest of the party.

"Enjoying the party?" The President asked, walking over to her.

"Uh…I'm not sure that's exactly the right word, sir." She managed with a small grimace.

"Have some champagne. Relax."

"I guess I'm just not used to all the attention."

"They do things differently where you come from?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no, it's not just that." She said, shaking her head. She'd been to a function somewhat like this with Jack when they'd both been awarded the Air Medal. "I feel like an impostor, sir. I mean, these people think that I'm "Major" Samantha Carter."

"That won't be a problem anymore." Landry said with a chuckle. "We're promoting you!"

"Yeah. That's not the point, sir." She said, somewhat troubled by his flippant treatment of her situation.

"People here have been through a lot lately. They need something to believe in. Your timing is impeccable."

She sighed as a commotion caused her to turn.

"No security without freedom! No security without freedom!" A protestor shouted.

"Sir, let's get you out of here." Charlie said, leading Landry and Carter to the center of the room as secret service agents pushed the guests to the wall as more agents wrestled with the protestor.

"We will NOT be silenced by acts of tyranny. Our voices will be heard! No security without freedom! No security…!" The protestor's cry was interrupted as the agents used a Goa'uld pain stick on him. He screamed in agony, and Sam winced as memories of Goa'uld torture washed over her. She watched him slump into the agents' arms as they dragged him away.

She had to get out of here.

-

_Several weeks later:_

Sam rubbed her neck as she continued to work on getting herself home without annihilating herself in the process.

"You look terrible." McKay said, walking into her lab.

She glared at him as she looked up.

"Don't look at me that way."

"Why shouldn't I, McKay?"

"Because I'm your ticket home."

She closed her eyes. "Really? Can't you ever admit that you're not the end-all-be-all?"

"But I am." He said, seriously.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for this."

"I found the solution." He said, leaning into look at her. "You can go home as soon as you gather up your stuff."

She looked up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yep."

"What was it?"

"Well, it was genius actually," he began. "All I did was..."

She put her hand up. "You know...I don't want to know. I just want to go home."

He stopped his explanation and looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Then, uh, get your stuff."

"Are you okay?" She asked, noticing the look on his face.

"Fine." He said, studying her for a moment. "Just...when you leave, I'll have to admit that she's gone."

Sam inhaled softly. "I'm sorry."

"It's life." He sighed. "Let's get you home, okay?"

She nodded with a grateful smile.

-

She appeared back in her lab to find Dr. Lee scanning the room with a sonic scanner.

"Dr. Lee!" She greeted with a grin.

He spun around, dropping the device in his surprise. He gasped and cried out in pain as he tried to tear off the headphones as they squealed in his ears.

She grimaced as she mouthed the word "ow".

Finally, he looked up at her, relieved. "You're back!"

She grinned. "Hi!"

-

She walked into her apartment, looking around for Jack. It was Saturday afternoon after all.

"Jack," she asked, hoping that she wasn't alone in her apartment.

There was no answer, and she sighed. He had probably canceled his travel plans until she could be found. She reached into her pocket, and retrieved her cell phone. She quickly dialed the number 1 speed dial.

"O'Neill."

"Jack, it's me."

"Sam? When did you get back?"

"Just a few hours ago. I was stuck in a debriefing with Landry, so I couldn't call you..."

"You're okay? You're fine?"

"Yes, Jack, I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"I was sucked into an alternate reality where General Landry was President, we were under Martial Law, and..." She hesitated. "Uh, Mitchell was still paralyzed..."

"Well, that's different." He said, seriously.

She tensed. "Yeah..."

"What else?"

"Hm?"

"I can hear when you're uncomfortable." He said, insightfully. "What else was weird?"

"The other Carter? Rodney McKay was her ex-husband."

"You're kidding."

"Uh-uh."

"So...this alternate reality...are we at number 19 where you and I are a couple."

She inhaled. "Uh...no."

"Oh?"

"That reality's Jack O'Neill didn't ever make it to the Stargate Program."

"Because he shot himself." Jack finished, soberly.

"I read the article." She admitted. "I was trying to find someone who could help me get back home."

"I'm sorry you had to do that," he sighed.

She was silent for a moment.

"Sam?"

"I need you to tell me about those days, Jack." She finally managed. "More than a few snippets."

His silence was deafening for a few moments before he finally sighed again. "I know."

"As long as you know," she said, biting her lip.

"Then you don't want to talk about it right now?"

"Look, I'm tired, and you probably want a little more time, so...let's play it by ear, okay?."

"You're sure..."

"Yes, Jack."

"Love you."

"Love you too. And...I'm really glad you're, uh," she coughed emotionally. "I'm really glad that you made it onto that first mission."

"Me too, Sam." He admitted.

"I'm tired, and I've got a big day ahead of me tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Landry wants us to go on a recon mission tomorrow."

"Ah."

"Who knows...it might lead us to Daniel..."

"Well, good luck on the mission."

"Thanks."

"And sweet dreams."

"Backatcha, Jack."

"Glad to have you back."

"Glad to be back."


	12. The Shroud

"I believe Daniel Jackson speaks the truth." Teal'c said, walking into the briefing room after he finished speaking with the Prior Daniel.

"Lotta good it's gonna do us." Jack said, pointing toward Landry's office.

"I'm gonna let you tell them yourself, because I don't have the stomach for it." Landry said, looking at Woolsey, who followed him into the room.

"Aw, that's all right, sir. Gen. O'Neill filled us in. The IOA has nixed the whole thing." Mitchell said, sympathetically.

"No, I don't think you know everything." Landry said, seriously.

"I… You have to understand, we've considered all the evidence at our disposal. But more than that, as difficult as this is, I feel very strongly that we have no viable option." Woolsey managed.

Mitchell put his hands on his hips and approached the politician.

"You wanna get to the point?!"

"I assure you this may be the hardest decision I'll ever make." He explained. "But I take full responsibility for it. Based on my recommendation, the IOA has proposed to the President that Daniel Jackson's life be terminated…immediately."

Sam gasped as she looked at Woolsey. She felt the shock of the rest of the team.

Finally, she looked over at Jack, sharing a worried look with him.

-

Sam walked into her lab with Jack on her heels. "I can't believe they're even considering this," she said, shaking her head.

"You can't?" Jack asked with a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate the IOA."

"You won't let them do it, will you?" She asked as tears stung her eyes. "Sir..."

"I'll do my best." He said, seriously.

She inhaled as she nodded. "I'm sure you will."

"And even if I can't find some way to do it legally, I'll figure something else out too."

She tensed as she nodded. "Count me in."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"What would you do with him?" She asked, biting the inside of her cheek. "If it was your choice…"

He sighed. "I would probably lock him in a cell until he started changing back."

"When we couldn't use his plan anymore…" She said with a small sigh.

"Which is why I would hit myself when I realized he was telling the truth."

She sighed as she looked down for a moment. "I'll try to figure out a way we can do it even if he does turn back into himself."

"That is if we can stall Woolsey…"

She swallowed down anger, frustration and bitter tears. "I don't like that man."

"I don't either. But then, I don't like any of them. They're just a bunch of lawyers who are trying to keep from being liable for anything that might go wrong. And they all have something against the military."

She nodded soberly. "I wish they would be willing to trust our judgment. We've got a pretty good track record."

"But it's not perfect, and that's what they want. Perfection."

She sighed. "Well, let's be honest. That's never going to happen."

"Never." He agreed.

"Do you ever get tired of the politics?"

"Always."

"Do you ever wonder if it isn't time to pack your bags and go home?"

He looked over at her for a moment. "Sometimes. What about you?"

"I guess, I figure that if we pack up and go home, we open the door for someone worse with less experience to come and take over." She admitted. "Maybe it sounds a little self-centered, but…"

"No, I understand what you're saying." He said, seriously. "We've already lost Hammond, and while Mitchell and Landry are good at what they do, and catching up on some of the things we learned through the years, it's just…not the same."

"Which I guess is a good and a bad thing."

"Change is usually a combination of good and bad." He admitted.

"Because every situation has pros and cons." She finished.

"Exactly."

She bit her lip. "Well, I should get to the grindstone if I'm going to get something that you can use to stall Woolsey."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll, uh, see you later, I guess." She said, wishing that she could hug him or kiss him or give him some reminder of how much she loved him.

"Sure thing." He said, nodding.

She smiled softly before she gestured out the door with her thumb over her shoulder. "I'm...gonna go now..."

"Think brilliant thoughts." He said with a tender smile.

Finally, she couldn't keep herself from it. "I, uh, I lo-"

"I know." He interrupted with a knowing look in his eye. "Me too."

She managed a grateful smile before she left.

-

Sam stood on the bridge of the _Odyssey_ as Jack walked in. "Hey."

She smiled as she looked over at him. "Hey."

"So...Ori ships."

She tensed. "Yeah."

"But Daniel's back."

She grinned. "Yep."

"And you're in temporary command of the _Odyssey."_

She smiled. "Actually, I'm just flying it. You're technically in command."

"Then I delegate." He shrugged.

She chuckled soundlessly as she looked out the window of the bridge and sobered.

"What's wrong?"

"Just a little...worried...about the future." She admitted.

"Not you and me..."

She shook her head. "Never."

"I didn't think so," he admitted. "But it never hurts to check..."

She smiled appreciatively before she sobered again. "It's the Ori."

He nodded. "I thought so."

"Maybe the Ori are gone, but...their followers aren't."

"We knew that was a risk," Jack reminded her.

"I know." She admitted.

"Look, we'll come out on top here."

"You don't know that," she said, softly. "We worked hard to get where we did with the Goa'uld, but the Tok'ra practically wiped themselves out to help us, and without the Jaffa, we wouldn't have been able to do anything to challenge the System Lords. And the Replicators? We got lucky."

"And we wouldn't have been able to do either without you, Sam."

"I wasn't the only one who was working on the problem, Jack," she said, looking over. "And you know that."

"Okay, okay, Danny and T helped." He grinned. "And I just pissed 'em off enough to keep them from thinking clearly."

She chuckled softly. "True."

"It wasn't just luck, Sam." He said, more soberly. "It was years of research. Just like with the Ori."

She bit her cheek. "You think so?"

He nodded. "Between you and Daniel, you'll figure something out. I mean, he'll do the ancient text thing, and you'll do the science thing. The others will just back you up."

She sighed as she looked down at the ground.

"What?"

"When I was in that...other universe...I managed to get Merlin's device to take the entire planet out of phase."

"That wasn't in the report. Why wasn't it in the report?"

"Because I didn't want to think about what might happen if I handed Earth's salvation to everyone on a silver platter."

"What do you mean?"

"The other reality...just pulled everyone back to Earth with the intention of leaving the rest of the galaxy to the mercy of the Ori." She sighed. "And I didn't want to see that happen."

"So you decided that you couldn't trust us."

She closed her eyes. "Jack..."

He sighed. "Look, we're not perfect, but we try to make the right decisions."

"I know." She said, seriously. "But..."

"But what, Sam?" Jack asked, somewhat agitatedly.

She sighed. "That experience scared me," she admitted. "And I know things aren't the same, but with the IOA acting the way they are..."

His frustration dissipated almost instantly. "Right."

She studied him closely, and she noticed the understanding written in his eyes.

"I am glad we're safe for now, and that Daniel is back and safe." She admitted, looking over at him.

"Me too."

"What happens when we get back to Earth? Are you staying?"

He shook his head. "I've got meetings with the President." He looked at Sam. "You should probably come and brief him on the experience yourself. I'll make the arrangements."

She nodded. "Okay."

He looked around before he looked back at her. "I want to kiss you, Sam," he admitted.

"I want you to kiss me," she said with a small smile.

"You look fantastic in the starlight."

"In this?" She asked with a nervous smile.

"Hey...there's something sexy about matching outfits," he teased.

She grinned as she leaned in to kiss him.

"Samantha..." Vala said, catching the Colonel and the General in one another's arms. "Oh...you're busy..."

Sam pulled away somewhat embarrassed to be caught in Jack's arms by the alien. "What do you need?"

"Oh, nothing." Vala said, shaking her head. "Go on to what you were doing..."

"That's my plan," Jack muttered under his breath.

Sam tried not to laugh as Vala raised an eyebrow.

"After all, if I had an Air Force general's arms around me, it would be virtually impossible to get me to go anywhere..." Vala said with a chuckle as she walked off the bridge.

Sam chuckled softly as she turned back to Jack. "Where were we?"

"I think we were right about...." He brushed his lips against hers. "Here."

"Kissing on company time?" She asked with a chuckle as he pulled away. "I wonder what my boss is going to say."

He grinned. "Somehow, I don't think he'll have a problem with it."

She reached over, placed her fingers on his chin, before she kissed him again. "I've got to watch the screens, Jack. The ship doesn't fly itself..."

"Maybe not, but I think it should," he teased as she walked back and sat in the Captain's seat on the bridge.

"Power agrees with you," Jack murmured with a small smile.

"Thank you," she blushed.

"Now, I've got to go and get started on that report. See you later." He said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"See you," she grinned. "Love you."

"Love you too." He grinned.


	13. Debriefing

Dressed in her class A dress uniform, Sam walked off the plane with a small sigh. In her briefcase, she carried several copies of the report she had filed with General Landry about the alternate reality she'd gone to.

"Why so serious, pretty lady?" A familiar tenor voice asked from where he stood only a few feet away in the airport.

Sam looked over to find her fiancé, and she smiled softly. "Jack."

"Thought I'd take you to your, uh, accommodations so that you could relax before you go to your visit with the Big Man himself."

Sam grinned. "Let me guess, a modest townhome in northern Virginia?"

"How'd you figure?" He asked with a small wink.

"Just a feeling. I'm a genius, ya know." She smiled.

"Oh, believe me. I know." He murmured, proudly, as he led her to the car. "I saw you blow up that sun."

"Let's be fair, that wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence," she laughed.

"Because your everyday work is any less astonishing!" He teased as he opened the door for her.

She slipped into the car as she afforded him a beaming smile. "Yeah, but I had some great team members who let me do my thing."

"Don't know what you're talking about," he teased as he closed the door and ran around to the other side of the car.

"How did your meeting go?" She asked, looking over at him as he began the drive toward his townhouse.

"It went." He said, noncommittally. "It's over with, and that's the important thing."

She smiled. "Still not a fan of meetings, huh?"

"Never." He grinned as he turned a wink toward her, good-naturedly.

An amused half-smile played on her lips as she looked over at him. With a relaxed breath, she turned her eyes back out the window as she watched the scenery cycle across her window. She rested her elbow on the hard plastic of the door frame as she curled her fingers under her chin.

"Something on your mind?" Jack asked, noticing how subdued her demeanor had become.

"Hm?" She asked, looking over.

"You look pensive." He said, observantly. "Wanna talk?"

"Just…glad to be home," she murmured.

He raised an eyebrow somewhat curiously before she turned back to look at him. "Washington didn't look anything like this in the other reality. It was…well, it was poverty-stricken and dirty and ugly." She looked down at her hands. "So did Seattle. So did Chicago. So did Denver."

He continued to drive sedately as he listened.

"Daniel was gone there, just like he had been here. Vala was in a cell at Area 51." She said, looking back out the window as she thought about the experience. "Mitchell was paralyzed. He lived in a rundown apartment here. He was among the most wretched veterans I've ever seen." She swallowed down tears. "I caught the news one day only to find that the US had offered the Irish government the help of their 302's to take down an alleged terrorist cell." She bit her lip. "But the pictures? It was one of the most peaceful country sides I'd ever seen. At least before the destruction brought by the 302's."

"You're not there anymore," Jack said, touching her hand so that she could feel the tangible comfort of his touch.

She managed a weak, but grateful smile, before she sobered again. "I could be back there any day," she murmured. "We could feel that we have to reveal the program at some time in the future only to experience the terror and chaos that it would leave in its wake."

He sighed softly. "Maybe so," he admitted. "But we don't have to face it alone."

"I know. And I am grateful for that." She said, looking over with soft eyes.

"The briefing with the President is for this very reason," he said, seriously. "Not to make you relive events you'd rather forget but to prepare us in the event that something does happen. And, if I'm not mistaken, you said that the other reality's administration hadn't told the international community about the program."

She nodded. "That's true."

"Maybe we've already made at least some of the necessary changes to save ourselves from that fate."

She inhaled and exhaled before she nodded. "I hope so."

He touched her left knee, gently. "Chin up, Carter."

She smiled appreciatively as she looked down at his hand on her knee. She looked over at him before she reached for her dog tags. She slipped them off her neck so that she could retrieve the diamond ring she had placed beside them. "Maybe I can wear this on my finger until my meeting," she said, looking over at him with a tender smile.

"I'd like that," he admitted.

"Me too." She said, gently pulling the ring from the metal chain which she normally wore around her neck. She slipped the golden band onto her left ring finger before she refastened the chain and put it back on her neck, allowing it to slip underneath her blues.

She looked at the simple ring with a small smile before she looked back at Jack. "Someday, I'm going to be the next Mrs. Jack O'Neill." She grinned.

He smiled somewhat pensively as he pulled onto the interstate.

"Now you look like you have something on your mind." Sam said, noticing the change in his countenance. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I met Sara when I was at the Academy." He began. "She was an elementary education major at University of Colorado – Colorado Springs."

Sam turned so that she could look at him as he spoke.

"She had made friends with a few of the other cadets at the Academy, and she ended up coming to the Academy Ball with a friend of mine." He recalled. "She had worn a red strapless gown – my favorite color – and I couldn't take my eyes off of her."

He looked over at her. "Are you okay with me talking about this?"

She inhaled as she nodded. "Yeah. I asked you to tell me about this."

"You asked me to talk about Charlie…" He said, seriously.

"Sara was a big part of your life for a long time." Sam said, softly. "You should feel comfortable talking about her with me."

"You're sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah. When I said yes to your proposal, I didn't just say I'd support you when it was convenient or easy. I said I was willing to take the vow to support you for better or worse. And, while it may be difficult to hear about your life with Sara, I'm willing to listen because I love you. And I don't want any secrets between us that don't have to be there." She bit her lip. "I'm never going to ask about your black ops days because those are confidential. And I'm not going to press you for the details of your life with Sara and Charlie because I recognize how hard it is for you to talk about them."

"And I appreciate that." He admitted.

She looked over with a gentle smile before she sobered. "I still need to know about those years, even if I'm trying to give you your space. So…you met her at an Academy Ball."

He nodded. "I had to ask my friend if he was dating her, and luckily for me, they were just friends."

She could imagine a young Jack O'Neill heaving a sigh of relief that the interesting woman he'd just met was free of a degrading love triangle.

"We dated for a few months before I graduated from the Academy. I got my first assignment at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Sara had also finished up her degree, and so we decided to marry that summer. We spent the next two years in one of the houses on base before I was sent TAD to Mildenhall Air Force Base in England."

"Did Sara go with you?"

He shook his head. "She was about six months pregnant with Charlie at the time, and her doctor was worried about the long flight."

"How long were you over there?"

He was silent for a moment. "Six months."

She inhaled. "That…must have been hard."

He nodded. "It was. Very hard."

They fell into a companionable silence before Sam looked over at him. "I guess that's one of my biggest fears when I think about having kids."

He glanced over.

"I mean, Daniel was gone for three months with Adria. I was gone for several weeks when I was in that alternate reality. And that's just from the last year."

"You're afraid you'd miss something?"

"More than that, I'm afraid I'd miss everything." She admitted. She bit her lip soberly as tears stung her eyes. "I know what it's like to grow up without a mother." And I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Especially my own children."

"So that's what you meant about the whole "Crab Nebula" thing…"

She nodded. "That, and as…nice a guy as Pete was…I just, wasn't ever sure that he was…"the one"."

"Nice guy? He ran a background check on you and followed you on assignment. And he almost got himself killed."

She bit her lip as she nodded. "Yeah."

He finally pulled into the driveway of the townhome. He stopped and turned off the car before he turned back to her. He placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Life's not perfect, Sam," he said, softly. "But despite its tragedies, it can be pretty spectacular."

She turned worried eyes to him. "You think so?"

He nodded as he sighed. "I thought my life was over after Charlie died. And my heart broke all over again after Sara left. But more than a decade later, I'm here, sitting next to the most beautiful woman in the world who has agreed to marry me despite the complications of our work and personal relationships."

She couldn't help but smile at his words.

"No matter what happens, Sam," he murmured with a tender smile as he ran his calloused fingers across her cheek. "You're mine, and I'm going to make sure you're happy. Whether you're out there among the stars or here in my arms."

"Have I ever told you how much I like this side of you?" She asked, looking deeply into his eyes.

"What side?"

"The romantic," she whispered with a tender half-smile as she leaned in to kiss him gently.

He grinned as she pulled away a few moments later. "I have a confession to make."

"Hm?"

"Your appointment in the Oval Office isn't until tomorrow. And I took the day off."

She beamed spontaneously. "So, we have a few hours to ourselves?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Yep."

"I'm sure you had a few ideas about how we should spend our time." She teased. "Such as…going over a few reports…"

"Oh yes, I had a private debriefing in mind," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Ah," she said, putting up a finger to stop him.

"What?"

"Let's take it inside," she murmured in a low voice.

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned as she slipped out of the car.


	14. The Return

_This may seem a little out of order, but it's a crossover with SGA, and I think there's some latitude that can be taken in where specific episodes fit into the other series' lineup._

_-  
_

Familiar footsteps caused Sam to look up from where she worked in her lab. "Sir!" She cried, surprised to see Jack there.

"Carter." He greeted with a small smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"Here for the first Carter-McKay Gate Bridge voyage."

Sam blushed as she looked to the side. "I think we should just call it the Gate bridge…"

"With an attitude like that, it will become the McKay Gate Bridge in no time."

She laughed. "I'm sure you'll find a way to keep it from doing that."

"Yes, well…I've never liked McKay." He teased.

She bit her lip as she looked over. "You're not flying the mission yourself, sir?"

"Nah. Figured that I should let the younger pilots have a stab at the…"

"The President said no, didn't he?" Sam interrupted.

"Yes." He said, sheepishly.

She chuckled before she sobered. "Can't say I mind," she admitted. "Keeps you safe."

"There's that."

"Who is flying the mission?"

"Sheppard. From Atlantis back to Earth."

"Oh."

"I'm gonna go watch. You wanna come with?"

"Can't. I have a mission." She said, shrugging.

"It's your bridge!"

"It's property of the United States Air Force, sir." She laughed. "And they're the ones paying me to go on this mission." She paused for a moment before she looked over. "Take some pictures for me."

He grinned. "Will do."

-

"Off-world activation," Harriman announced a few days later.

"IDC?" Sam asked, back from her three-day recon mission.

"None. It looks like it's coming from your Gate Bridge."

"It's not my…" She began before she shook her head. "General O'Neill and the last members of the Atlantis expedition?"

"Most likely."

Sam leaned over to the microphone. "Defense teams, stand by."

A jumper appeared a few moments later and Jack waved from where he sat beside Sheppard in the front seat.

She grinned as she returned to the microphone. "Good to see you, sir."

"Yes, well…if it's so good to see me, do you think you can call these guns off us?"

"Yes, sir." She smiled. "Defense teams, stand down." She looked up at John Sheppard who flew the jumper. "I believe you know where the jumper goes. I'll go tell General Landry that you've returned."

"Thank you, Colonel." John said as he flew the jumper to its designated coordinates.

-

"Remind me never to take the city of the Ancients from Dr. Weir ever again." Jack said, shaking his head as he walked into Sam's lab.

She chuckled softly. "That bad, huh?"

"Worse." He murmured. "Like taking candy from a baby."

"Poor Elizabeth." Sam said with a small, sympathetic smile.

"Yes, well…she'd get too attached, and let's admit it…right now, in our fragile relations with the Ancients…"

"Looking like we're willing struggle for control of the city would be bad." Sam finished from where she stood upright.

"Exactly." He said, nodding. "Which is a shame because, besides Daniel, Weir would be the best negotiator for this."

"It was partly because of the IOA, wasn't it?" Sam said, knowingly.

He sighed. "When isn't it?"

She bit the inside of her cheek as Jack looked out the door. "I'm gonna have some cake. You wanna come with?"

She smiled softly. "Sure."

They walked down to the commissary in companionable silence. He retrieved his cake, and she got her blue jello, each in a rhythmic cadence. Sam smiled softly as she looked over at her companion. "Do you remember the first time I came with you to get cake when I was working on a big problem?"

"As I recall, Rodney McKay was there that time too." He said, dryly.

Sam chuckled softly. "Which was one of the reasons I needed cake instead of jello. I needed the hard stuff."

He snickered, and Sam studied him. "You okay?"

"Tired." He admitted. "Been a long day."

"Just gonna get longer, I'm afraid."

"General O'Neill to the Gate Room. General O'Neill to the Gate Room." Came the page over the intercom.

He let the fork slip from his fingers as he closed his eyes. "And…it starts again."

"You want me to come with?" Sam asked, trying to be supportive.

He shook his head. "Nah. Finish my cake. Someone should enjoy it."

Sam smiled. "Yes, sir," she winked, discreetly.

-

It wasn't long before she returned to her lab to find Jack there, sitting in one of the chairs by her workbench. His face looked somewhat lined and tired.

"What is it?" She asked, noticing the look on his face.

"I'm, uh, going to Atlantis."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"The Alterans are getting a little peeved with Woolsey."

"Ah." She said, nodding. "So, you're going to help out?"

"Yeah." He said, nodding. "It'll probably take a few weeks…"

"I know." She said, inhaling. "I'll be okay."

"I know you will be," he murmured uncomfortably.

"I'm going to miss you." She assured. "But this time, you get to be the one offworld for an extended amount of time."

"I'll make it up to you."

"No need." Sam assured. "Just stay safe."

He nodded, absently.

"What's wrong?"

"I should warn you, Sam…I've told Landry that in case of a foothold situation on Atlantis, that he needs to destroy the city at all costs."

Her eyes widened. "Why?"

"The Gate Bridge," he said, seriously. "We can't lead the Wraith back to Earth that easily."

She inhaled slowly, trying to process the thought that he might not come back. "Then, don't let there be a foothold situation."

"It's not that ea…"

"Jack." She interrupted with determination in her eyes. "Don't let there be a foothold situation."

He managed a faint half-smile, leaning in to hug her and kiss her cheek. "I'll do my best."

She held him tightly for a few moments before he pulled away. "Come to see me off?"

She nodded slowly. "Sure."

He brushed a soft tendril from her face. "I have a picture in my bag…of you and me fishing."

She smiled softly. "Come back safely, and I'll take you back."

"You're on, Carter." He said, nodding slowly.

-

Sam bit her lip as she tried to concentrate on her work. It had been three weeks since Jack had left, and she hadn't heard a word from him. She occasionally heard through General Landry what was happening on Atlantis, but even he wasn't telling her much. He saved the Atlantis stuff for the old Atlantis team.

"Am I interrupting?" McKay asked, stepping into the room.

Sam managed an uncomfortable smile as she looked over at the scientist. "Uh…no…hi, Rodney."

"Something wrong?" He asked, noticing the look on her face.

She shook her head. "Just trying to keep up with my experiments between missions."

"I remember that," he said, wistfully.

"Is there a reason you're not joining one of the teams?"

"Besides the fact that Landry said "hell no"?" Rodney asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sam managed an amused half-smile.

"You and I would just be in each other's way." He said with a shrug.

She nodded, acknowledging the truthfulness of his words. "What'd you need, McKay?"

"Just wanted to come and say "hi" before I leave for Area 51."

"Well, thanks. I appreciate it."

"What are you working on?"

She looked over at him, curiously. "Why?"

"Well, I have a couple of hours, and thought that I might be able to help…"

She threw him a look.

"I won't take over. I promise!"

She sighed as she sat back and looked back at her computer screen. "I'm trying to find a way to give us iris control for the Gate Bridge."

He shook his head. "We already went through this, Sam. In order for the macro to work…"

"And I'm trying to determine if we missed something." She snapped.

He studied her for a moment. "This is personal, isn't it?"

"Rodney, I've worked with you off-and-on for the last five years. It's not personal when I yell at you."

"That's not what I was talking about." He said, seriously. "Rewriting the macro to include iris protection is personal for you."

She looked away.

"Why?"

"I'm getting some lunch." She said, closing the laptop and walking out the door.

"Why won't you just tell me…"

"Good-bye, McKay." She said, coldly motioning for him to leave.

"Okay…" He said, walking out to the corridor. "I guess this is me leaving."

"Thank you."

"Maybe when you've cooled down, we could have lunch?"

She closed the lab doors as he spoke.

She sighed as she looked back at her workbench. Was she back to the desperation of the Major who had worked night and day for three months to find a way to melt the natural iris of the Edoran Gate?

She inhaled softly. And nothing had even happened.

Yet.

Something needed to change. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't hide this relationship from anyone anymore.

And truth be told, she was less and less willing to do so.

-

_Three weeks later:_

"So…mission to P4X-894?" Mitchell asked with a grin as he looked at the rest of SG-1.

Sam managed an insincere smile as she nodded. She wanted to stay here and fix the iris problem from the Gate Bridge.

"Didn't Landry want us here at 1330?" Daniel asked, looking at his watch. "It's already 1400."

"He's on the phone." Sam said, pointing to the window.

"Unscheduled offworld activation."

Sam's heart started beating anxiously as she jumped up from the table and hurried down the stairs.

"What's going on, Chief?" She demanded.

"We're receiving a databurst from Atlantis. It's General O'Neill's IDC."

Sam's heart leapt into her throat as she played the message.

Jack stood in front of the camera with a worried expression on his face. "Atlantis is under attack from replicators! Somehow, they've figured out how to override their programming. The Ancients were taken off-guard and have lost most of the city already. Request immediate evacuation!"

Woolsey fired a gun. "They're coming!" He called.

"Gah!" Jack cried.

Sam inhaled sharply as the transmission terminated instantly.

Landry made it down just then. "What's going on?"

"W-we just rec-received a message from G-general O'Neill." Sam stammered. "Replicators in Atlantis."

"We received the General's IDC, but no one's come through the Gate."

Sam turned to look at the open wormhole. Come on, Jack, she thought as she bit her lip so hard that she drew blood.

"Defense teams, stand by." He ordered into the microphone as they waited for Jack and Woolsey to appear on their side of the wormhole.

The minutes passed slowly, and Sam felt her heart pound in her ears as she dreaded what would happen if Jack didn't appear or if the Replicators came through.

Finally, the wormhole disengaged despite the fact that neither Jack nor Woolsey could be found in the Gate Room.

Sam tensed as she looked up at General Landry's face. He was going to send the nuclear ordnance.

She felt bile rise in her throat. She was going to be sick.

-

"Sir, I've just heard about General O'Neill's position. I'd like to volunteer SG-1 for the rescue." Mitchell announced, walking into the briefing room where Landry awaited the Atlantis team.

"There's not going to be a rescue." Landry said, soberly.

Daniel, who had been on Mitchell's heels, opened his mouth. "But, sir…"

"Dr. Jackson, I have standing orders. From General O'Neill himself. And those are to send nuclear ordnance to Atlantis in the case of a foothold situation." He turned a sober eye to the team. "I think this qualifies."

Sam nodded, hollowly. "Yes, sir."

Daniel threw her a look before he looked back at the General. "Look, this is Jack we're talking about…we can't just let him…"

"I'm not changing my mind," Landry reiterated. "Your orders are to return to your quarters and not to leave until I let you know that you can go on your mission."

"But sir," Mitchell began again.

"Now, Colonel!" Landry barked. "Dismissed."

Sam was the first out the door. She was nearly at the elevator before Daniel caught up to her. "What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what?" She shot back, bitterly.

"Of all the times to pretend that you're not in a relationship with…"

"Stop right there," she hissed as she spun around to face him. "I have never left him behind, and I'm not going to start now."

He was instantly stopped.

"No, I'm going to come up with a plan, and until I do, I want you to follow Landry's orders. Understand?"

He opened his mouth to speak, and she raised her hand before he could actually say a word. "Don't." She warned. "Now, why don't you go define your relationship with Vala while I go and try to save my fiancé, okay?"

She spun on her heels, returning to her route to the elevator as she regretted the harshness of her words instantly. No matter what his implication, Daniel had never deserved that kind of tone from her. She turned to speak to him before she shook her head. She'd find a way to rescue Jack before she apologized. She didn't have time to do it the other way around.

-

"You can stop planning your secret rescue mission," Landry announced as he walked into Sam's quarters where she was racking her mind, trying to come up with a successful rescue plan which would get Landry's approval.

"Sir?" She asked, pretending to be innocent as she stood.

"The Atlantis team beat you to it."

"Oh." She said with a small sigh. "How?"

"They stole one of the jumpers, hacked into the mainframe computer, and disregarded all of our attempts to bring them home."

"I see. And what about the nuclear ordnance?"

"McKay was charged with finding a way to send the Mark IX through."

Sam tensed. She had a feeling that the General would ask her to send the bomb.

"I just wanted to keep you informed."

She inhaled before she nodded. "Yes, sir."

He turned to leave before he paused. "Colonel?"

"Yes, sir?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Jack's gotten out of worse situations than this."

Sam bit her lip. "Yes, sir."

The General walked out of the room as Sam sighed. She looked at the door, and walked out to the corridor. She made her way to Daniel's lab, somewhat nervously.

"Can I come in?" She asked, timidly.

Daniel looked over at her. "I guess…"

She sighed softly as she walked in. "I guess I owe you an apology."

"You don't have to do that," he said, standing. "I was pretty terrible too."

She bit her lip. "Jack, uh," she paused, trying to keep a grip on her emotions. "Jack told me about his standing orders before he left. That's why I was pretty much glued to the Gate or my desk for the last few weeks."

"You were trying to figure out how to fix the whole iris thing?"

She nodded. "That way, Landry wouldn't feel like he had to send a nuke."

"What about a rescue?"

"Apparently Weir, Sheppard, McKay, and Beckett beat us to it."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I was trying to think of a plan that would save Jack and still have Landry's approval." She explained. "They skipped the approval part."

"Ah."

He noticed the tears brimming in her eyes, and he finally walked over and gave her a hug. "Hey, he's come back from worse situations. I mean, Ba'al…"

She inhaled as she tried to keep the tears from falling. "I know."

"And I don't care what he says, I didn't help him with that one." Daniel teased as he pulled away and looked at her.

Sam chuckled as she wiped at the tears which had leaked down her cheeks.

"We're going to get him home, Sam." He said, more soberly.

"I sure hope so." She admitted after a moment.

-

"Colonel Carter?" Lee asked, walking into her lab.

"Yes, Bill?" She asked without looking up from her computer as she worked on her theories for changing the macro so that they could facilitate iris access.

"I wanted to make sure you knew…"

"Knew what?" She asked, looking over at him somewhat urgently.

"Uh, they want me to blow up the Bridge."

"We just finished it." She murmured as her lips parted in surprise.

"I know, but Landry…"

Sam sighed as she nodded. "Thanks, Bill."

"Are you going to…"

"Thank you, Bill." She reiterated, more strongly.

**-**

"They're overdue." Woolsey said, worriedly.

"Not yet." Jack assured.

"It's been well over eleven seconds." He reminded him.

"Yes." Jack sighed. "But you've been ignoring the dramatic element of…suspense."

"General O'Neill, are you there, sir?" Sheppard called over the radio.

"See?"

"Oh, thank God!"

"Yes, we're here." Jack announced. "You're late."

"Sorry, sir. Had to go into space and pick up some…frozen goods."

Jack exchanged a look with Woolsey. "Whatever. Where are you now?"

"We're not exactly inside the city yet. We're headed toward an underwater Jumper Bay."

"Well, what we think may be an underwater Jumper Bay." Elizabeth murmured.

"Is that Doctor Weir I hear?" Jack asked, seriously.

"Yes, General. It's good to hear your voice too." Elizabeth said over the radio.

"I didn't say it was good, Elizabeth. Please, don't be offended as I express my "surprise" that Landry would send you on a mission like this." Jack said, seriously. Truth be told, he'd been expecting SG-1. Not the Atlantis team.

"Well, sir, General Landry didn't sanction this mission."

"So, am I to assume you are not surrounded by heavily-armed SG teams and young strapping marines?" He asked with a small sigh.

"You've got Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla, McKay, myself, and Doctor Beckett."

Visions of the Ancient drone that had landed at his feet in Antarctica three years earlier made him cringe at the sound of the Scottish doctor's name. "Woo! Doctor Beckett, is it? Well, I'm comforted."

"We've got a plan, sir, a…good one." Sheppard said, seriously.

"Yes, Colonel, I'm sure you do. But in the unlikely event you don't fail miserably, you're fired."

"Yes, sir. Look…forward to that."

Jack looked at Woolsey. "They have a plan."

"I heard."

"General O'Neill?" Sheppard asked a few moments later. "We're gonna need a favor."

Jack followed the directions, followed by Richard Woolsey.

"Okay, there should be a hatch leading down to the next level. Do you see it?" McKay asked into the radio.

"Yep. Sure do. We see it."

"The Control Room should be almost directly below."

O'Neill looked into the hatch in dismay. "Okay, slight problem here."

"What's that?"

"Well, the level below is completely flooded, too."

"Ah. I, uh, couldn't convince you to take a swim today, could I?"

Jack sighed before he started stripping down to his lighter clothes. "All right. If you hear something, don't call out to it. Shoot it."

"Understood."

"Anything that's not me is a Replicator, so don't hesitate."

"You won't be gone long, will you?"

Jack groaned. Why couldn't he have Carter, Daniel or Teal'c with him instead of this woefully inept IOA delegate? "Uh, kinda depends on the temperature of the water. Let's see." He dipped his bare toe into the water to test the temperature before he pulled it out quickly. "Not long."

He reached for the radio. "McKay? What do I do once I get down there?"

"It's a manual override. It should be in the center of the console. It'll be obvious once you get in there."

"All right." He sighed.

"Good luck." Woolsey managed.

"Thank you." Jack said, setting the radio down as he began climbing the ladder and took a few deep breaths. "All right, here we go." He said, diving under the waterline. He got through to the second room after the hatch where he could see jumpers in the bay. There were buttons everywhere. So NOT obvious.

Where was Sam when you needed her? He asked himself as he swam back to the surface.

"Did you do it?" Woolsey demanded.

"Radio." O'Neill coughed, reaching for the device.

"McKay." He cried.

"Did you do it?"

"You and I have very different ideas of what "obvious" is." He snapped.

"Well, I've never seen it before!" McKay defended.

"There are dozens of controls down there I wouldn't even know how to describe!"

"Well, it's an emergency control. It should be among the most prominent."

"God." He groaned.

He inhaled before he dove once more down to the control chamber. He found a lever and tried it. The door he used was instantly closed.

Wrong one! He thought. Come on, if there was ever a time to have a hallucination where Carter showed up…

He pushed the lever back up before he moved to another. The door began to open slightly, but it wasn't enough.

_"Jack…"_

He blinked once. He could have sworn Sam had stood in front of him, but she'd disappeared almost instantly. Still, he'd heard her voice. It was too good to be true that she would appear only seconds after he'd hoped for her help. It was impossible. She was in another galaxy doing her job - probably assuming he'd been killed in the line of duty.

He shook the thoughts from his mind and slipped around to the other side of the pillar.

His lungs were on fire as he tried to pull another lever. He pulled it before he pulled away. It's time to get air, he thought, swimming away.

He turned in dismay to find that the lever had returned to its original position.

He was already at the door, and had to physically pry it open before he pushed himself to the surface and gasped for breath.

"God, you can hold your breath a long time! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Me too." He said, coughing.

"General. It sounded like you had the right control. Why did you stop?"

"It's a dead man's switch. I have to hold it in place."

"I had no idea." McKay cried.

"Really?" Jack asked, sarcastically, into the radio.

"Oh, God." He said, diving again before he headed directly to the lever, holding it down.

"Woo! Yeah!" He cried several minutes later as he reemerged from the water.

He looked up to find weapons pointed at him by two replicators as others held Woolsey captive.

He sighed.

"Don't…move!"

**-**

_A week later:_

"Sam!" Daniel cried, running into her lab.

"Hm?" She asked, looking over at him.

"They've got him!"

"Who's got whom?" She asked, confused.

"The _Daedelus_ got him!"

"Jack?" She asked, her heart lightening cautiously.

He nodded. "He's fine."

She grinned. "How long until he's home?"

"Another two weeks, it seems."

She offered a sigh of relief. "He's coming home," she breathed, gratefully.

"I told you," Daniel grinned as he hugged her tightly.

-

_Two weeks later:_

Sam sat at her computer, typing up her notes from the latest mission. Another world in the Ori's hands.

"Hey," a tenor voice murmured, pulling her from her thoughts.

She looked up with an instant grin as she saw her fiance. "Jack!" She cried, hurrying over. She hugged him tightly, not caring who saw as she turned and kissed him fiercely.

"With a welcome like that, I should leave for a couple months more often," he teased.

She hit his arm. "Don't even joke."

"Ow!" He grimaced, pulling away and rubbing his arm.

"You could have died, Jack! What were you thinking telling Landry to send a Mark IX?" She ranted. "And thanks to you, I had a big fight with Daniel, and Landry knows about us now, not because I said anything, but because I was acting like I had when you were on Edora, and..."

His lips were suddenly pressed against hers again, and she melted in the strength of his embrace. Her arms which had been flailing around in nervous agitation slowly wrapped themselves around his neck as he kissed her.

"I missed you too." Jack murmured as he finally pulled away.

"Promise you won't leave like that again?" She asked with wide and vulnerable eyes.

"I can't promise that," he sighed.

She bit her lip as she looked down. "I know."

"At least...not until I retire. Which I'm willing to do right now, if you want me to."

She looked up at him before she shook her head. "No. We need you."

"Catch 22, huh?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess."

"Got some leave coming up?"

"Dunno. I can look into it."

"If you can get some time off, I want to take you up on your offer to take me fishing."

She smiled softly as she touched his cheek gently. "I could have lost you again," she murmured.

"Again?"

"Argos, Edora," she began. "That rogue NID operation, the '301 incident, the Ancient virus, Ba'al's capture..."

He pressed a finger to her lips. "I get the picture."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I can't handle this, Jack. I go a little crazy every time you get stranded off world or anything like that."

He wrapped his arms around her, tightly. "Hey, I'm okay."

It was a few moments before another set of footsteps could be heard outside the door, and Sam pulled away from Jack somewhat reluctantly.

Daniel and Vala walked in. "Hey, Jack."

"Danny."

"Glad you're back."

"Glad to be back."

"You look good. For being held by Replicators."

"Oh, you didn't even hear the half of it. McKay had me go underwater three times before they actually got INTO the city." He looked over at Sam. "Thanks, by the way."

Her brow furrowed, and he shook his head. "Tell you later."

"Okay..." She said, shrugging.

"Needless to say, it was cold, and I had to hold my breath for a long time. Three different times."

Sam inhaled, and he ran a hand over her back, comfortingly. "Still, I'm okay. Would have liked my favorite team to rescue me, but these guys were okay, I guess."

Sam smiled softly as she caught Jack's eyes with her own for a moment.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have cake to celebrate my return."

"Me too." Sam said with a grin as she looked over at him.

"I like cake," Vala piped up eagerly.

Just then, Teal'c and Mitchell appeared. "General O'Neill. Glad to hear you're home safe."

"As am I, O'Neill." Teal'c added.

"Thanks, Mitchell. Thanks, T." Jack said, nodding with a sober smile.

"We're getting cake," Daniel said, looking over at the other two members of SG-1.

"Sounds great!" Mitchell grinned, enthusiastically.

"I will join you." Teal'c said, nodding.

"Well, last one to the commissary is a rotten egg," Jack said, motioning to the corridor.

The team filed out of Sam's lab one-by-one. Sam took her turn to walk out the door, but she was caught and pulled back in by her hand. She looked over at Jack, curiously. "Give them a headstart." He shrugged.

She smiled softly. "Private celebration? My apartment after cake?"

"I'm telling you. This absence thing makes the heart grow fonder." Jack teased.

Sam smiled softly as she leaned in and kissed him again. "I'm glad you're back," she murmured.

"Me too." He admitted. "I thought about you a lot while I was there. I mean, when I was cursing McKay's incompetence."

Sam chuckled appreciatively.

"I don't know if it was a hallucination or what, but I saw you there, Sam."

She raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"It was probably a hallucination. I was a little oxygen deprived at the time."

"What did I do?"

"You told me which lever to pull."

"Go me."

"You're remarkable, Sam." He murmured. "And I love you more with every single day."

"Me too." She admitted. "I never realized how hard it was on you to wait around, knowing some of what was going on, but never able to do anything about it."

"Sucks, doesn't it?" He asked, soberly.

"Which is why I'm thinking I might be...done here..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Going civilian?"

She nodded. "I'm thinking about it."

"In the middle of the war with the Ori?"

"I would have to take terminal leave, but then I could consult with the SGC if they needed it."

"They need leaders like you, Sam. They can't afford to give you up. Not yet, anyway." She inhaled, and he continued. "Sam, they kept recalling me to active duty or denying my request for retirement, and I was a royal pain! You actually FOLLOW the regulations. Imagine how long you'll be here."

"There has to be something we can do..."

"Give me a couple of years." He said, softly. "I'll retire, and we'll actually live in the same city, okay? Then, we'll talk about everything else."

"You've got a deal," she said with a small smile.

"Hey, guys!" Mitchell cried, returning to the lab. "Are you coming or not?"

Sam looked over at Jack with a small smile before she looked back at Mitchell. "We're coming."


	15. Unending

_"Mommy!" The little girl cried as she ran down the hill with her curly brown pigtails trailing behind her._

_Sam grinned as the little girl flung her arms around her neck. "Oh, Grace!" She cried, joyfully as she hugged her little girl._

_She looked overhead as the sound of aircraft caught her experienced ears. Her eyes glanced over the heavens with experienced discernment as she hugged her daughter closely to her chest._

_A legion of alk'esh followed by three Ori motherships caused Sam's heart to panic._

_"Mommy, what's going on?"_

_Sam looked down at her daughter only to have the six-year-old torn from her arms by an Ori foot soldier._

_"Hallowed are the Ori," The replicator version of herself announced, leading an army of Jaffa and Ori foot soldiers._

_"What are you doing here?" Sam asked, panicking. "We killed you…"_

_"Interesting weapons these staffs…" "Replicarter" announced as she admired the Prior weapon in her hands. The Replicator closed her eyes for a moment before she suddenly thrust it toward Sam._

_She moved her lips, only to find that no sound emanated from her vocal cords. "What have you done?" She tried ask only to choke on the words that refused to be spoken from her lips._

_"Oh, look." Replicarter said, looking down at Grace before turning a discreet glance to her mother. "We have a daughter."_

_Sam tensed. No. She had a daughter._

_"Come on, Grace," the android Carter said, reaching for the little girl's hand. "It's time to face the truest measure of your destiny."_

_"Leave my daughter alone!" Jack cried, coming out of nowhere as he ran toward the evil twin of his wife._

_A simple flick of the staff in Jack's direction caused him to clutch his chest in pain before he choked on a breath and collapsed._

_Sam inhaled sharply as she tried to hurry over. Two foot soldiers caught her by the arm, keeping her from ascertaining whether Jack was alive or dead. She looked at Replicarter in horror as she saw an army of Jaffa gather behind her. "Maybe Fifth was good for something," she sneered. "He prepared me for that."_

_Sam felt her heart leap into her throat as she realized that Jack was probably dead, and that she could do very little, if anything, to save her daughter from becoming this monster's plaything, or worse, unwitting accomplice._

_"Come along, Grace." The other Carter said, offering her daughter her hand. Grace looked back at her mother, who shook her head vigorously as tears streamed down her cheeks. Where was the rest of the team?_

_Grace looked up at the woman who stood beside her._

_"Take my hand now!" The replicator demanded, angrily._

_Grace cowered back in fear. "No…I want Mommy."_

_Replicarter's eyes narrowed as she looked back at her human double. "Mommy…is no longer available." She said as she struck the staff against the ground._

_She felt the paralysis of excruciating pain overwhelm her entire body. She collapsed as the Replicator reached down and picked her daughter up from the ground. With the defiance of both parents, she tried to fight the adult, but it was a losing battle and within a few moments, Grace was either unconscious or dead in the replicator's arms. Sam couldn't tell which from her vantage point. With her eyes wide, she watched helplessly as she carried Grace to the ship._

_Finally, as the Replicator Sam and Grace disappeared from sight, one of the Jaffa came to her. "Tau'ri." He spat. "You saved us from false gods only to allow another come and take his place?"_

_His saliva hit her cheek as one of the foot soldiers kicked her in the stomach in an effort to roll her over. His partner took the end of his Ori staff weapon and hit her upside the head, causing her nose to bleed. Finally, the first soldier took his own staff weapon and pointed it at her._

She gasped and snapped up in bed, suddenly awake, as the blast was fired in her dream.

She reached over to Jack's side of the bed before she sighed. He was in DC. Thousands of miles away from her.

She reached for her phone on the nightstand before she shook her head. "It's three o'clock in the morning here, Sam. Which means, it's five there. He's got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Let him sleep for as long as he can."

She sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. Grace's presence in her dreams had started up again, only the child had become more than a symbol of her freedom. She'd become the carnation of her desire to bear Jack's child.

She didn't have time for this with the Ori in the galaxy, trying to destroy every "non-believer".

Her phone rang loudly from beside her on the nightstand. She smiled sadly as she heard "Wild Blue Yonder" blaring from the small speakers. "Jack…" She murmured affectionately as she picked up the phone. "Carter."

"Sam, it's Cam. We've got a situation. Landry says to pack a bag, and we'll beam you up in twenty."

"Uh…okay." She said, closing the phone as she quickly did as she'd been instructed.

-

"Welcome aboard, Colonel." Landry greeted.

"Sir." She said with an efficient nod. "What's going on?"

"The Asgard High Council sent a message through the Gate. They want a delegation to meet them at their home planet, Orilla, if I'm not mistaken."

Sam nodded. "What do they want besides that?"

"We have no idea." The General sighed as he walked down the corridor. She fell into step beside him as he continued. "Which is why I'm coming with. We are going to another galaxy, and though I have faith in your judgment…"

"The IOA insisted on some sort of supervision." She inferred.

"With Woolsey on vacation after his experience in Atlantis with General O'Neill, they begrudgingly allowed me to take his place."

"In case the Asgard need our help with something."

"Exactly."

"Well, sir, where do you want me?"

"On the bridge. Keep an eye on the crew if you will."

"Yes, sir." She said, nodding as she split from him and headed to the bridge.

-

"Major?" Landry asked several weeks later as he and Sam walked onto the bridge.

"We're approaching the coordinates, sir."

"Drop us out." Landry announced as he sat in the command chair.

Sam looked on as she saw Orilla come into view on the screen.

"We're being hailed. The Asgard are requesting permission to beam aboard, sir." Marks announced as the rest of SG-1 arrived on the bridge.

"Granted." Landry said, nodding.

Thor beamed to the space in front of them. "Greetings, and welcome to Orilla."

"Thor!" Sam beamed as she took a step closer to the Asgard.

"Hello, Colonel Carter. It is good to see you." He said, warmly.

"It's good to see you too, Thor." She said with a small smile. She turned to her companions. "This is General Landry, Colonel Mitchell and Vala"

"Greetings."

"So, Thor, how you been? Haven't heard from you in a while."

"I am sorry." He said, looking as abashed as the Asgard could. "I have been otherwise occupied. As mentioned in our communication, the High Council wishes to meet with you, to explain in greater detail, but there is not much time. General, with your permission, a number of Asgard are prepared to beam aboard immediately to begin installing various technological upgrades to this ship."

"What is it you're planning on giving us?" Landry asked, curiously.

"Everything we have…and know."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise.

"By that, you mean…" Vala prompted.

"Everything. All our most current technology. All our knowledge."

Sam just blinked.

"Sorry," Daniel began, the first one able to find his voice. "We're just a little stunned. I mean, why are you doing this? You've always resisted in the past. You always said we weren't ready."

"Indeed. Many Asgard still believe that."

"So what's changed?" Mitchell wondered.

"As a race, we are dying. Very soon, we will all be gone."

Suddenly, Sam was grateful that Jack hadn't come on this mission.

-

"The Asgard computer core is equipped with its own power source that will not infringe on your ship's ZPM. However, when the upgrades are complete, the core will be fully integrated into all the ship's systems." Thor explained.

"There must be something more you can do." Sam sighed as she looked over at her fiance's best friend.

"I assure you, we are providing you with all the latest Asgard technology, as well as a knowledge base, including our entire recorded history." He assured.

"That's not what I was talking about."

He paused before he looked up at her with compassion. "Everything that can be done, has been done. The final attempt to solve our physiological degeneration has left each of us with a rapidly progressing disease."

"If you like, you'll be able to interface with the core using a holographic representation of me, or any other Asgard on record in the knowledge base."

"I'm sorry," Sam said, softly. "But that just won't be the same."

The Asgard looked up at her with a look of hurt in his eyes. It was strange for her to realize how expressive they'd become since they'd first met the Asgard eight years before. "I have been working on this for the better part of a year, Colonel Carter."

"And we appreciate it, really!" She assured.

He sighed softly. "Many on the Council did not believe we should be imparting such advancements."

"Well, I promise we will do our very best not to let you down."

"You are the Fifth Race." He said, matter-of-factly. "Your role is clear. If there is any hope in preserving the future, it lies with you and your people."

She managed a tense smile. "No pressure, huh?"

"You have earned my respect and my friendship." Thor said, softly.

"Well, the feeling's mutual." She said with a sad smile.

"Please do not be sad." He asked of her. "The end of my people has been a long time coming. We have made too many irreversible mistakes in our development. Hopefully, you can learn something from it. My only regret is that our physical weakness has left us incapable of helping you further."

Sam knelt on the ground beside him before she wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug.

When she finally pulled away, she had a couple of tears in her eyes. "Jack's going to be sorry he missed being able to say goodbye."

"I have prepared something for him in anticipation of his inability to come," Thor said, reaching for one of the stones.

"I'm sure he would have come if he'd known what was going on." Sam said, softly.

"We did not tell you our purpose for asking you to come because we were afraid you would not come," Thor admitted.

And without the promise of technology, they probably wouldn't have, she admitted to herself.

"Upon this stone is a holographic image of myself. I have recorded everything which I would say to O'Neill if I had the chance." He said, handing her the stone.

"I'll give it to him." She promised.

"I do not know much about your customs, Colonel Carter," he began.

She raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she listened to him.

"But I have been much perplexed by your relationship with O'Neill."

Sam smiled softly. "So have we," she admitted.

"One of our mistakes," Thor began slowly. "Was believing that our lives would last forever."

Sam took his words as the hint that they were intended to be, and she inhaled. "Thor, Jack and I are...engaged to be married."

The Asgard's eyes widened.

"And...if it meant that we could have you around a little longer," she began. "I would go back to Earth, bring him back out here, and marry him on this ship so that you could be there. The way Jack and I would both want it."

Sam wondered if Thor's eyes were watering at her words. "There is too little time for that," he murmured regrettably.

"I know." She sighed.

He swallowed as he reached for another stone. "This was the stone I prepared if you and O'Neill decided to share your lives together." He swallowed. "A few thoughts on what might happen should your offspring further the development of the Fifth Race."

She tensed slightly. "I don't have the Ancient Gene..." she explained.

"You are the Fifth Race for more reasons than your distant relation to the Ancients." He said, soberly. "In your own way, you are as advanced as O'Neill."

"I'm going to miss you," she managed as tears welled up in her eyes.

"And I will miss you, Colonel Carter." He admitted.

-

_One week later (in the Time Dilation Field):_

Sam stared at the computer screen before she closed her eyes and put her hands over them with a groan. She needed...something. She sighed as she stood, ready to go to the ship's commissary for a cup of coffee. She caught sight of the egg-shaped Asgard communication stone, and she bit the inside of her cheek. She wondered what Thor had said to her regarding the possibility of the advancement of the Fifth Race through her posterity.

"I should wait for Jack," she murmured to herself as she stopped herself.

"For what?" Daniel asked, walking into the room.

"Daniel," she greeted with a tired smile.

"Hey," he said with a smile of his own before he sobered. "Why do you need to wait for Jack?"

She bit her lip. "Uh...Thor recorded us a message..."

"The team?" He asked, surprised.

She shook her head. "No, uh...Jack...and me..."

"Ah."

"He was, uh, perplexed by us..."

"So were the rest of us," he teased.

She smiled softly as she put the communication stone away. "What do you need?"

"Thought you might want to get some coffee with me. Everyone else is asleep."

She nodded. "Sure. Got something on your mind?"

"You mean, besides the Asgard Database?"

She chuckled appreciatively.

"Actually," he said, more soberly. "Yeah."

"Okay." She said, walking down the corridor with him.

"It's Vala..."

Sam raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What about her?"

"Well, you two have become...friends..."

"Yeah." Sam said, nodding.

"What on Earth do you two have to talk about?" He asked, almost at odds.

She looked at him strangely. "Excuse me?"

"She's all...surface...no depth..."

"You, of all people, should know better than that." Sam reprimanded gently.

"Okay, she has...a depth..." He corrected. "But she can't possibly care about anything more important than...facials and manicures and...stuff..."

"She cares about the fight against the Ori." Sam said, seriously.

"Only because she started it!"

Sam raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. "You're right. That was out of line."

"Why do you think she's worked so hard this year?"

"That's easy. Though it's somewhat irrational, she feels responsible for Adria."

"That may be part of it, but that's not the whole story."

He raised an eyebrow.

"She knows you went to bat for her. That your reputation is on the line for her," she explained. "And that caused her to feel a new emotion that she's never felt before..."

"Don't tell me that she loves me," Daniel groaned as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"I wouldn't waste my breath telling you something you're not ready to hear," she sighed as she accepted the pot from him before she poured herself a cup of coffee. "But she does respect you. Strange as it may seem. And that's new and scary to her."

"I would have stuck my neck out for just about anyone else..." He said after taking a moment to process her words.

"I know that." She said, softly. "But maybe...maybe you filled a need she didn't even know she had."

He bit the inside of his cheek before she decided to finish her thought. "And maybe she fills a need that you don't want to admit you have."

He looked away as if he didn't want her to see how perceptive she'd been.

"You don't have to wait until you're out of the same chain of command, Daniel." She whispered, earnestly. "Take your time, but don't let her slip through your fingers..."

Daniel played with his paper cup. "I'm finally in a place," he began. "Since I returned to this plane of existence and..." He swallowed. "Remembered about Sha're..."

Sam's blue eyes looked over at him, recognizing how hard it was for him to open up.

"I'm finally good." He admitted with a sigh. "But she..."

Sam inhaled softly as he trailed off. "One of the ways I knew Jack always cared..." She began, hesitantly. "Was the way he never left me behind..."

He opened his mouth before he closed it again as she looked down at her own cup of coffee. "When I'd had a hard mission, he would...take the time to tell me that I'd done a good job. In a way that he'd never speak to you or Teal'c." She looked over at her friend. "I know there were times when he should have given up hope. When I was stuck on the _Prometheus_. When I was the only one still unaccounted for after the Alpha Site was attacked by the Supersoldier..." She swallowed. "And when it was clear that I need a hug...he'd give me one. Even if it was frowned upon. Even if it was in secret." She teared up. "Even if it was physically painful for him."

Daniel looked over at Sam sympathetically, and finally she wiped at her eyes before she looked over at him. "You've been the one who looks for her when she's missing. She's the one who's moping around because you're gone." She paused before she took another sip of coffee. "Say what you will...it looks awfully familiar to me."

She stood. "I think I will go to bed."

He nodded, pensively.

"You might want to know, Daniel," Sam said, pausing for a moment. "Vala's motto for life is that it's better to laugh than to cry. Just something to think about..."

Only a few moments later, she was in the privacy of her quarters where she finally removed her engagement ring from her dog tags. She placed it on her finger, looking at it through watery eyes before she lay on her lonely bed, wrapped her arms around herself in a fruitless attempt to comfort herself, and sobbed.

Her simulations were looking worse and worse. And she wondered if she would ever get home to marry the only man who hadn't let her down.

-

"Before I tried to build Merlin's out-of-phase technology, I decided to run a simulation." She explained several days later as she activated the simulation on the Asgard screen. The simulated Odyssey was hit and destroyed by the Ori beam outside the window.

She winced slightly before she turned back to the group.

"Are you saying it took two weeks to figure out this idea wouldn't work?"

She swallowed, uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. I've been trying to adjust the parameters. Now the problem is, according to Thor, I can't seem to take this ship out of phase before I shut down the field. And once we deactivate the time dilation field, we have point eight six seconds before the blast hits us. And that just isn't enough time to take the ship out of phase."

"Okay, time for Plan B." Mitchell said, optimistically.

She grimaced. "Actually, I ran that simulation, too." She set up the simulation before she turned back to the group. " If we beam ourselves into the buffer, ready to transport down to the planet and set the time dilation field to deactivate on a timer," she activated the simulation. "The matter stream still doesn't have enough time to fully exit the buffer and get clear of the explosion."

The simulation showed the ship getting blown up again.

"Fine," Mitchell said, gritting his teeth. "Plan C: we go to the 302s. That's how I got off the Korolev."

"I ran that, too." Sam said, feeling more and more like a failure. "Based on the way the Odyssey is going to be hit compared to the 'Korolev, it won't work."

"The computer's wrong." Mitchell said, gritting his teeth.

Sam bit back tears.

"Both of the last two scenarios don't preserve the ship or the Asgard knowledge." Daniel observed.

Sam sighed. "I know."

"Okay, it's only been a couple of weeks." Landry said, positively.

"I have a problem with the word "only." Vala groaned.

"The good news is," Sam tried to say more enthusiastically. "The Asgard have provided us with some truly amazing technology."

"Just nothing to get us out of this mess!" Mitchell exclaimed causing Sam to flinch almost physically before she continued. "I don't know that yet. However, with only a slight modification to the beaming technology, we have a matter converter that will literally allow us to manufacture food, water, oxygen, pretty much anything we need."

"Except a way off this ship!"

"You've made your point, son." Landry interrupted. "I doubt very much Colonel Carter has even scratched the surface of what's possible. Let's give her some more time."

She gave the General a grateful smile as Mitchell stood and brushed past her, followed closely by Vala.

Landry walked out of the room silently as Sam turned back to her dearest friends. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Daniel asked, pulling his files together as he prepared to leave.

"For...getting us stranded out here..."

"You did only that which you believed would be in our best interests," Teal'c assured as he placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"And you'll figure a way out of here. You always do."

She managed a wan smile. "Not like this..."

"What would Jack do if he heard you talking like this?" Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sam tensed.

"He would not accept the idea that you had done all you could do. He would insist that there was another way," Teal'c reminded her.

"I know what you're trying to do," Sam began. "And I apprecia..."

Daniel reached for her left hand, and revealed to her the ring she'd left on her finger. "You're going to get us home, Sam. Not just because we want to go back, but because you have something worth going home to."

She inhaled softly as she looked from Daniel to Teal'c. "I guess I'd better get back to work if I'm going to get us back home anytime soon."

"That's the spirit." Daniel grinned.

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed, stoically.

Sam's smile didn't quite reach her eyes before she turned back to her work. They didn't seem to understand just what would need to happen before she could truly get them home. And even she didn't know what was possible at this point.

-

_Two months later:_

Sam sat at the table alone. Sometimes, when she was in her lab, the solitude was too much, but out here...sometimes it was all she needed. She sighed as she looked into the brown coffee in her cup. "I can't do it anymore," she murmured. "I can't keep seeing their faces. Looking at me for the answer. I don't have one to give them!"

She swallowed. "Why couldn't you have just been at my house when we got the call? Why couldn't you just have come with us? I'd probably have come up with something by now. If there was anything to come up with."

She felt tears well up in her eyes. "And even if there wasn't...we'd be together, you and me."

She blinked away the tears, too tired to truly cry anymore. "Is there ANYTHING else I could do?"

She sat in silence for another few minutes before Vala hurried in and sat across from her, causing Sam to look up with red, swollen eyes.  
"I want to help you."

Sam managed an indulgent smile. "I..." She began. She looked back up at the eagerness of Vala's features, and managed a weak smile. "You can keep my company at least. Let me know how things are going with Daniel..."

Vala grinned, pulling Sam's arm gently. "Come on! There's no time to waste!"

"If you only knew how much time we could waste," Sam murmured under her breath as she sipped at the coffee again. She grimaced. It was cold.

"I'll make you a new pot!" Vala cried, looking back at her friend. "Now, hurry up!"

"Can't argue with that logic," Sam sighed as a small smile flitted onto her lips.

-

Vala paced through the control room. "The problem is that there isn't enough time to shut off the dilation field and start a new process."

"I know." Sam sighed.

"Uh, I'm just thinking out loud here."

"I know." She repeated.

Vala paced before she paused. "What is that thing?"

Sam turned to look at the thing Vala had pointed out before she smiled. "Ah, it's a cello. I've always wanted to learn how to play."

"Huh." Vala said with a smile before she returned to her pacing. "Is it possible to use the time dilation technology to solve our problem?"

"How?" Sam asked, confused.

"Well, obviously it would—" She began as she leaned against the Asgard console, causing a beeping noise.

"Ah!" Sam grimaced, reaching for the controls.

"Sorry." Vala murmured. "Obviously it'd be great if we could go back in time and not get into this situation in the first place."

"Well, slowing down time within a localized field is not even close to the same thing as reversing time altogether." Sam said, laughing. "It's a good thought, though."

Vala pursed her lips as she tried to continue to think. Sam looked over with a small sigh. "Thank you, Vala."

"Hm?" Vala asked, looking up. "For what?"

"This is what I needed. Someone to bounce ideas off of."

"That's what I'm here for," she grinned.

Sam smiled faintly as she thought of the "original". His gray hair which stuck straight up if he got a good night's sleep, his irreverently sardonic sense of humor, and his simple, yet profound wisdom...

"Samantha?"

Sam looked up. "Hm? Sorry..."

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

"Him, who?"

Vala held up the ring which had been left sitting on the desk. "General O'Neill."

Sam tensed. "I meant to put that...away..."

"We all know, Samantha. It's not like you need to hide it from us. In fact, there's very little any of us don't know about another..."

"Like Mitchell's mood?" Sam murmured.

"He just gets...cranky when he's powerless to change what's going on..." Vala explained.

"I know. But does he have to remind me that I got us into this mess every single time I see him?"

Vala sighed. "I'm sure it will die down."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Eventually..."

"I wouldn't count on it." Sam sighed.

She bit her lip. And if Jack was here, Mitchell wouldn't have gotten a mild rebuke like the ones he'd received from the General, he would have been sent to the infirmary after the first ten references.

She missed Jack, she thought as she walked over to the keyboard and input some information.

"I'm sorry, that function is not possible," Thor announced.

Sam dropped her head to rest on her arms which were folded on the console. It was going to be a long night.

-

"We have to sever the Asgard core from the hyperdrive controls, or else the Ori will be able to follow us when we make the jump into hyperspace. A long time ago, in the event that I ever did solve the time issue, I created a program that would achieve that very quickly. I'll load it onto a crystal. That way, it will only take me a few seconds to shut down the core and make the jump into hyperspace." Sam explained, grateful for a chance to return her team to their homes.

Her heart only paused for a moment as she realized that Jack might not want her back if she arrived home thirty years his senior.

"Who says it's gonna be you?" Mitchell asked, defiantly.

"Well, it makes sense that it be me." She explained, confused.

"Ah." Mitchell disagreed.

"I will do it." Teal'c announced.

"Teal'c," Daniel began. "You've lost as many years as the rest of us."

"What are you, a hundred and thirty now?" Mitchell quipped.

"I don't know, he doesn't look a day over one twenty to me." Vala teased with a dead-panned expression.

"I have many more years to live. I am the only logical choice."

Sam sighed. "Teal'c."

He looked into her eyes, reading her gratitude and conflict easily. " I have but one question. If this should not work…"

"Then the shields will fail, and you will die along with the rest of us."

"Then it is settled."

Sam finally nodded.

It was only an hour later before she announced "I'm ready."

"Do it, Sam."

More slowly than she would have fifty years previously, she initiated the sequence which would inevitably take their lives before turning back the hands of time.

-

_Three weeks after the time-reversal:_

Sam stood on Jack's doorstep, shaking with the sudden realization of what had happened. She usually had a level head during a crisis, but she always fell apart afterward, and today, as she'd flown from Denver to DC, she'd realized the gravity of the situation. The Asgard - their only entirely loyal ally - had committed mass suicide.

She knocked desperately at the door as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I'm coming!" Came the gruff voice from within.

She had missed that voice. Even more after she'd discovered that she'd spent between fifty and sixty years without it.

He opened the door, and she hurried inside. "I want to go on a cruise to the Caribbean." She announced.

"Hello to you too..." He said, confused, as he closed the door.

"I want to learn to play the cello. I want to go fishing. I want to actually catch a fish!" She continued on the verge of hysterics. "I want to..." She paused as the emotion caught in her throat. "I don't want to die alone," she finally managed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Jack soothed. "Who said anything about dying?"

"They're gone," she choked. "All of them. Heimdall, Vasjir..." She teared up before she finally managed to finish. "Thor."

"Gone...as in..."

"They blew up their homeworld." She whispered.

He stared at her for a moment. "Why would they do that?"

She managed to collect herself, recognizing that he needed her support right now. "They wanted life to end on their own terms." She looked up at him before she handed him the Asgard communication stone that Thor had given her. "This is for you. Thor wanted to say goodbye."

Jack sighed, looking at the stone warily. Without taking the stone, he looked up at her. "We've lost allies before. You were hysterical. What else happened?"

She swallowed. "The Asgard gave us all of their technology and all of their knowledge."

His eyes widened.

"The technology they gave us had a unique energy signature which made it so that the Ori could track us through hyperspace." She said with a small sigh. "The plan was to put us in a time dilation field. But Teal'c stopped me, and handed me a chip that I'd apparently prepared...in an alternate timeline where we actually went into the field, and stayed there." She bit her lip. "For fifty years."

"Fifty years?" He asked, skeptically.

"Well, fifty years in the bubble." She corrected.

He shook his head. "This is incredible. The Asgard get blown up, and you guys put yourselves into a time dilation field."

She bit her lip. "Jack..."

"What on Earth could have possessed you to do something like that?" He asked, incredulously.

"I don't know, Jack..." Sam said, looking over at him, fiercely. "Certain death and the responsibility for the legacy of an entire race!"

"Don't bring them into this, Sam." He said, seriously. "I have my own bone to pick with them."

"They're dead, Jack!" Sam cried.

"That's the problem!"

"I can't believe you." She said, shaking her head. "Don't you have any compassion at all? They were dying as a race. They decided they had lived long enough, and..."

"So, you agree with them?"

She groaned. "Jack, whether or not I agree is not the point."

"Yeah. It is."

"No, Jack. The problem is that you don't like to mourn." She returned. "I understand why they would want to do something like this. I don't think I would ever do it, but who knows?"

He opened his mouth, but she continued. "And I think you're the last person to fault them."

"What?"

"Yes, you're Mr. Self-Sacrifice!" She said, flippantly. "Mr. When-in-doubt-throw-a-bomb-in-after-me."

"Hey! That's different."

"The end result is the same, Jack." She said, giving him a steely gaze. "Only once have I ever heard you say that dying would be a bad thing. At least in all seriousness. Usually, it's all a joke to you."

"Whoa! Death is no joke to me!"

"Then why is it that only in the first year of our work, you said anything about regretting dying."

"Because you were getting all..."we're gonna die" on me..." He said, seriously. "And I needed to get you out of that mindset."

She sighed as she looked at him, sitting down on the couch as she became more resigned than angry. "It's part of life, Jack."

"Yeah, well it sucks."

She rested her forehead against the palm of her hand, tiredly. "Yes, Jack, it does. But that won't change the fact that it's here to stay."

He looked over at her, surprised to see the lines on her face for the first time. She looked at least ten years older than she really was.

"What are you so afraid of?" She whispered wearily as she looked down at the floor. "That I won't love you if I know about what a great kid Charlie was? That I'd be hurt that you had a life before you met me? That I won't want to have kids with you if I know what went through your mind after you experienced a loss that I can't even imagine?" She looked up at him finally. "That I'll get scared and run away?"

Jack studied her for a moment before he turned his eyes away.

She sighed heavily as she stood, and prepared to walk into the bedroom.

"It's not you," he finally managed.

She paused, turning to face him with skepticism written in her eyes.

"It's not that I'm afraid of how you'll react..." He continued. "I mean, I guess some of it is that, but that's not the biggest reason I have struggled with telling you about Charlie."

She turned her serious eyes to him.

"When he died, it felt like someone...ripped my beating heart from my chest and force fed it to me. Every mistake I'd ever made, everything I'd ever done in my Black Ops days...it all came flooding back to me. And I wondered why God could take Charlie. He was so young. So innocent. I mean, I was standing not even a hundred yards away from Charlie. Why hadn't the gun shot hit me? Why couldn't I have a misfire? Why couldn't some hit and run driver hit me instead?" He sank onto the couch. "I've killed people, Sam. Some who deserved it, and others who..."

He choked on his emotion, and Sam walked over to sit beside him, rubbing his back gently as she listened. "Who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's what I signed on to do, even if I don't always agree."

He sighed. "Charlie had the world at his feet. He could have done anything he wanted to do, and because I left the key to that strongbox on my dresser so carelessly..."

He broke down and started sobbing, resting his head in his hands as Sam's eyes pricked with tears. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as she cried with him.


	16. Phone Call

*Author's Note: I was unaware that "Continuum" happens after Carter's tour in Atlantis, so I have pulled the "Continuum" chapter, and will add it after the "Atlantis" chapters. Sorry for the confusion.*

Sam stared at the phone somewhat nervously as she caught her thumbnail between her teeth and paced.

She'd just finished three days of extensive interviews with the IOA after Richard Woolsey had informed her that she was being considered for Elizabeth Weir's replacement as the expedition leader in Atlantis.

"What're we waiting for it to do?" A familiar voice asked from behind her as she jumped in surprise.

"Jack!" She cried, turning to look at him.

"Hi." He grinned. He motioned to the phone. "I assume you taught it a trick..."

She chuckled, touching her hand to her forehead in embarrassment. "I'm...waiting for a call..."

"From whom? Your boyfriend?" He teased.

She shook her head. "Woolsey, actually."

He raised an eyebrow. "Woolsey?"

She nodded. "Yeah. About the job."

"Job?" He asked, his eyes wide.

"You didn't know?" She asked, perplexed. "They never talked to you?"

"Talked to me about what?"

"Jack, they're considering me for Elizabeth Weir's position."

He stared at her for a moment before he inhaled. "Wow. Good for you..."

"You had...no idea?"He shook his head.

"None." He confirmed.

"How is that possible?" She asked, confused.

"Well, the IOA tends to do what the IOA wants to do."

"Yes, but you're one of my commanding officers. You were my commanding officer for eight years. In the Program! You would think they would have at least called you for a recommendation."

"Nothing." He reiterated.

"You're the Head of Homeworld Security!"

"Maybe they went directly to my superior..."

"Who?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, and her brow furrowed. "The President? Why would they do that? I mean, it's important, but it's not that important..."

He shrugged. "I don't know, Sam. You'll have to ask Woolsey." His brow furrowed in frustration. "Or, rather, I'll ask Woolsey when I pull him into my office first thing Monday morning."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't tell you about the job because I thought that...you knew about it." She paced in frustration. "I should have told you about the job. Whether you knew about it or not. I mean, we're getting married. You need to know when I've been offered a job that could take me to another galaxy..."

"Calm down, Sam." He soothed. "It was a natural assumption to make."

"Do you think they kept you out of this because they know about us?" She asked, looking over at him, worriedly.

"I don't know." He admitted.

"Are we in trouble, Jack?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're not doing anything wrong, Sam." He said, pointedly.

"Yes, but..."

"You don't need to worry about it, Sam. I"ll take care of whatever is going on, okay?"

She nodded slowly.

"So...Atlantis."

She nodded again.

"You want it, don't you?"

"I don't know anymore." She admitted. "I thought I wanted it. Because I thought you knew about it, but..."

"You want it." He said, seriously. "I can tell. You wouldn't be pacing around an inanimate object if you didn't want it pretty badly."

She grimaced slightly. "Yes, but...it's Atlantis...a whole new galaxy...an entire command."

"You can do it, Sam." He assured.

"I shouldn't be going off right now. We're engaged. We should be planning a wedding, getting married...not moving a galaxy apart..."

"Hey, I'll be here. We'll do the together thing; we'll do the apart thing. It's what you want to do here, Sam."

"I don't want to be apart, Jack...but I don't want to kiss my career good-bye, and I would if I get this...promotion..."

"I know."

She tensed. "What would you do?"

"I'd take it." He said, seriously.

The phone rang, and she looked over, inhaling deeply before she looked back at Jack.

"You gonna get that?"

"I'm not sure I want to..." She admitted, swallowing nervously.

"Well, if I answer it, and it is Woolsey, then we're definitely headed for trouble."

She tensed as she nodded. "Right." She picked up the phone. "Carter."

"Colonel Carter," Richard Woolsey greeted. "Richard Woolsey."

"Mr. Woolsey." She greeted, looking at Jack worriedly.

He offered her a supportive smile.

"I'm pleased to announce that you have been offered the Atlantis post. You report to Atlantis in three weeks."

Her lips parted in shock as she looked at Jack with wide eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Woolsey. I'll, uh...I'll do that."

"Congratulations, Colonel."

She hung up the phone, somewhat dazed before she looked at Jack. "I report to Atlantis in three weeks."

"Congratulations." He said, giving her a small smile before he walked over and gave her a hug. "Landry's probably put your name up for another promotion too."

"You don't know?"

He sighed. "No. I must be losing my memos..."

"Jack..." She murmured, worriedly.

"Go to Atlantis, Sam. I'll be here when you get back. And...maybe I can squeeze a trip or two into my schedule..."

She bit her lip. "Atlantis."

He nodded. "Yep."

"And I thought my tour on the _Prometheus_ sucked."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, my work was rewarding, but...it's not all about work, now is it?" She looked up at him. "I learned that from you..."

He smiled softly as he leaned in to kiss her before he hugged her again. "You deserve it, Sam."

"Thank you."

He pulled away. "Now, you have some packing to do...just tell me where you want me..."

"Jack, don't."

"What?" He asked, looking back at her.

"It's the beginning of October." She said, softly. "I'm going to be leaving around the time of your birthday. I'll be missing the holidays again."

Her eyes widened. "I'll probably miss Cassie's graduation." She looked up at him with panic in her eyes. "I...I...I c-can't do this." She stammered. "I can't miss Cassie's graduation."

"Even Elizabeth took some leave every once in a while. I think you can do the same..." He said, wryly. "As for holidays, I'll send you cards, and I'll be thinking of you the whole time."

Tears moistened her eyes softly as she smiled sadly. "I'll do the same."

"Besides, with the Carter-McKay Gate Bridge...I might come to you for the holidays."

She grinned. "Bring the Santa suit you keep pretending you don't have."

He laughed as she sobered. "Jack?"

"Hm?"

"We'll get married after this. I promise. I won't ever leave again."

"You can't promise that, Sam." He said, running his fingers through the hair she'd grown out for him.

"Yes, I can..." She said with a small sigh. "I can retire."

"Without a pension?"

"I can find other work."

"None that you'd actually like."

"That doesn't matter."

"Yeah, Sam, it does." He said, seriously. "I'll be here waiting for you when you're finished."

"What if that never happens?" She asked, vulnerably.

"We're together now, aren't we?"

"And kids?"

"If it happens, it happens." He shrugged.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Sam, I love you. That's not going to change. No matter how far away you go or how long it takes you to come back to me."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly as she leaned her cheek against his chest. "You'd tell me if it bothered you..."

"Have I ever been able to keep my feelings hidden, Sam?"

She looked up at him with somber eyes, and he sighed. "Even my feelings for you were rather...obvious to anyone who actually looked."

She smiled more brightly.

"Trust me," he smiled. "You'd know if I wasn't happy with this."

"You're sure?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"You're too good to me, Jack O'Neill." She said, softly.

"Oh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I could chain you to the stove, and keep you barefoot and pregnant..."

She grinned. "A little Caveman of you, isn't it?"

"Nope." He said, shaking his head. "Cavemen didn't have chains."

"Oh, so I'd be your loveslave too, hm?" She asked with a laugh.

"What can I say?" He teased. "That blue dress you had to wear ten years ago was a definite turn-on."

She turned a look of pure chagrin to him.

"Hey, at least I didn't mention the time that you drank that stuff and took off all your..."

"Jack!"

"Hey! I didn't say it in front of the guys!"

"Yes, well...just forget it." She said with a pointed look. "You never saw it."

"A little late, hon," he laughed. "Been a few years since you could be that modest around me."

"D'oh." She groaned somewhat goodnaturedly as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her cheek on his chest.

He wrapped his own arms around her.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't need any fancy send-off like you did last time, but..." She inhaled. "I do have two requests."

"Oh?"

She looked up at him, sincerely. "I want to go to the cabin."

He grinned. "Done. Next?"

"I want to see Cassie."

"Both are pretty simple. And can be done in one fell swoop." He said with a grin.

She chuckled. "Yeah, except Cassie is not, exactly, Miss...Nature Girl..."

"But it's the cabin!"

"And if I recall correctly, I'm the only one who really likes it there beside you."

"True." He sighed dramatically.

She grinned as he looked back down at her. "I'll make you a deal, Ms. Carter."

"Okay?"

"Get yourself packed up in the next two weeks, and I'll take care of the rest."

"You've got yourself a deal." She said, soberly.


	17. Deployment

Sam smiled as she puttered around the cabin, pulling off the furniture covers and dusting the coffee, lamp and dining room tables. With each passing year, she found herself more and more enamored with the charm of this old cabin that Jack's grandfather had built nearly a hundred years earlier as a wedding present for his young bride.

She ran a gentle hand over the mantle with a small smile. "Thanks, Grandpa O'Neill," she murmured, looking up at the heavens. "Maybe someday it will be our honeymoon cottage..."

She heard the sound of a truck nearing, and she smiled. That was Jack, returning from his grocery shopping.

She pulled away from the mantle, and walked out onto the porch to greet him and help him carry the groceries into the house.

She could see through the windshield that he was on the phone, and quite agitated at that. She swallowed. What was going on?

Jack parked the car, and Sam walked over to his door as he stepped out. "No, Richard, I am not getting upset because you made the decision." He sighed. "I expected THAT." Jack looked over at Sam as he shook his head in frustration. "It's that you didn't even tell me. I didn't know until General Landry sent over a file on Carter's replacement."

She looked at him, strangely, and he shrugged as he got into the backseat of the car to get the grocery bags. She knew instantly that he wasn't too worried about the white lie.

"Richard, how many times do I have to tell you?" Jack said, handing Sam one of the paper bags. "This isn't a power struggle. It IS. however, a real problem! I'm the head of homeworld security, for cryin' out loud! I think I'm entitled to know when any of our base commanders or leaders is being replaced!"

There was another pause, and Jack rolled his eyes as he turned back to get the second bag of groceries. "Stop right there, Woolsey. I know Henry Hayes. He would never completely subvert my command. Yes, he may have made the decision, but he would never leave me out of it completely."

He paused as he turned around, miming incessant chatter with his hand as he held the bag of groceries against his side with the other hand and closed the door to the truck with his foot. Finally, he inhaled. "Richard, I'm on vacation. I don't want to hear another word about how this wasn't your idea and all of your other excuses. I don't care why it happened or how you think you're going to convince me that you weren't undermining my authority as a military leader in the Pentagon, but it's not going to happen again. Got it?"

He waited for a moment. "Good," he finished. "Now...I have a lake and a fishing pole calling my name."

He hung up the phone with a sigh as he finally leaned in to kiss his fiance. "Hi."

"More about the promotion stuff?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Sorry to hear it."

"Me too." He sighed as they walked up to the cabin. "But that's enough shop talk. We're on vacation, for cryin' out loud."

"Okay." She said with a small smile. She put the brown paper sack on the kitchen table before she turned to him. "Jack?"

"Hm?" He asked, putting the milk and beer into the fridge."I want to get married here."He raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. "Now?"

She shook her head with a chuckle. "No. Not now, but when we do get married..."

He shrugged. "Okay."

"I mean...your grandfather did build it for your grandmother when they were engaged. So, it's got some family history behind it..."

"True."

"And we love the atmosphere. And we wouldn't have a lot of guests...I mean, just Daniel, Cassie, Teal'c, Vala, Cam Mitchell, General Hammond..."

"Yeah. Sounds great." He said, matter-of-factly.

"What is it?" She asked, looking over at him as she paused her work.

"Nothing." He sighed.

"I don't believe you."

"You have that right." He said as he folded the paper bag and put it under the sink.

"Talk to me, Jack." She said, soberly.

"I don't think we should be planning our wedding right now. Not while you're preparing to leave for another galaxy."

"Oh..." She said softly as she returned to pulling the cans out of the bag. "Right."

"Don't get mad at me, Sam." He said, softly. "I'm just trying to be...pragmatic. You might want something different when you get back."

"You mean the wedding or are you afriad that I'll want someone else when I get back?" She asked, seriously.

"That's not fair." He said, turning a pointed look to her.

"You're exactly right, Jack." She said, nodding. "Thinking that I'd give up on us just because I'm a galaxy away is not fair."

"That's not what I meant!"

"Is this about the IOA?" She demanded. "Is this about how paranoid they are about SG-1 taking over the world? Are you afraid about what this relationship is going to do to your reputation?" She reached for the ring on her left ring finger. "Because you want this ring back, take it now. I don't need to come back from Atlantis whenever I come back and think I have everything under control only for it all to crumble."

"Look, the IOA is making waves. I don't think this is a good time to think about a wedding. Not when your career is in jeopardy." Jack sighed. "And I've never cared as much about my career as I've cared about yours."

"You never answered my question," she whispered as hot tears threatened to fall. "Do you still want to marry me?"

He looked away in shame, and she felt the tears slip down her cheeks. "Say it to my face, Jack." She whispered, tearfully. "You owe me that much."

He looked over at her, pain lining his features. "You know I can't do that."

"Then why are you trying to do this, Jack?" She pleaded.

"Because you deserve someone who won't compromise your career by loving you."

"I deserve someone whom I love, and who loves me back." She countered, taking a step toward him. "I've tried to love others, and it's never worked. I've been the one who backed out of the wedding." She swallowed. "I'm not backing out of this one, Jack. The only way you can get rid of me is to fall out of love with me and break my heart."

He bit the inside of his cheek before he looked down at her. "Why me? Why did you choose me?"

"Because you trusted me when I didn't trust myself," she began as she took his fingers into her own. "Because you cared for me when I wasn't sure I needed to be taken care of. Because you loved me when I didn't think I wanted to be loved."

He raised his hand to touch her cheek as he ran a calloused thumb over her cheek in an effort to erase the tears from her cheek.

"Besides," she said with a wry chuckle. "I have a thing for the lunatic fringe..."

Jack's eyes lit up as he laughed.

Her heart lightened as she saw the joy in his eyes. That joyous sparkle softened to the softness of love. "You'll never know how much I love you, Sam." He said, seriously.

"Not as much as I love you," she murmured through tearful eyes.

"That's a bet you'd lose." He said with an affectionate smile.

"I know this is hard," she whispered. "Watching me leave without knowing when I'll come back. At least with the _Prometheus_, we knew it would only be three months."

"And the last commander of Atlantis isn't coming back," Jack managed with his voice breaking.

She bit her lip, emotionally. "I'll come back, Jack."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Sam." He said, earnestly. "With the Replicators, the Wraith, and who knows what else out there..."

"Have I ever let you down, Jack?" She asked, soberly.

"Never."

"Then, I'll come back."

"Hey, you're the one who always follows orders," he said with a mirthless chuckle. "Maybe I should make it an order."

"That's one I wouldn't hold against you." She said, soberly.

"Then, it's settled." He said, seriously. "I order you to come back home. Safe and sound."

"And I always follow orders." She said, gently caressing his cheek.

"I have something for you," he murmured.

"Jack, I told you...I don't want to do this again..."

"I know." He said, retrieving a fishing pole from the closet. "But you are going to a city that sits on the water..."

She tried to chuckle as tears welled up in her eyes, but her laughter quickly became the sobbing she'd tried to hide. She wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you, Jack. I'm going to miss you so much."

He held onto her tightly as he ran his fingers through her long hair. "Sh...I know, I know," he whispered. "Me too."

-

Sam walked into her apartment several days later, having shed more tears than she'd ever thought she would at the prospect of deployment.

"Hi, Sam." Cassie greeted solemnly.

"Cassandra," she whispered with a sad smile.

Cassie hurried over and wrapped her arms around Sam tightly. Sam returned the hug with equal fervor.

For once, words did not need to be exchanged between these two women as they held one another tightly as the surrogate mother and daughter they'd become.

Finally, Sam pulled away, wiping at her cheeks. She looked at Jack, who had entered while the two women embraced, and then she looked at Cassandra. "I'll miss you both more than I can even tell you..."

"We'll miss you too." Cassie assured.

"I expect a lot of letters and video messages."

"You got it." Jack said with a supportive smile.

"I have to get to the base," she sighed. "I'm leaving in an hour, and I want to say goodbye to the guys."

"We'll take you to the base." Jack said, wrapping an arm around her tightly.

She nodded slowly. "I'd like that."

"Good. Because 'no' wasn't an option." Cassie laughed.

Sam grinned. "Wouldn't expect any less from my two favorite people in the whole world."

"Come on," Jack said, leading her to the door, soberly. "Let's go...don't want you to be late for your first day."

Sam bit her lip as she nodded, stoically. "Wouldn't want that at all," she sighed softly as she wondered if she wasn't making a big mistake.

Suddenly, she remembered what day it was. October 20th. Jack's birthday. She looked over at him. "Jack?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry I'm leaving on your birthday."

He looked down at her as he opened the car door for her. "I know you are."

"I promise to make it up to you."

"You don't have to do that, Sam." He said, seriously. "I know how it goes. I missed more than a few birthdays, Christmases, and holidays myself."

"I know, but..."

"Just come home safe, Sam. That's all I want." He said, soberly.

She nodded, slowly. "All right."


	18. Tabula Rasa

Consciousness came as suddenly as she felt the coldness of the tile on the floor against her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly only to recoil and close them fiercely again at the sudden pain that ran through her head as the light hit her eyes. "Ack!" She exclaimed in pain.

She felt so dizzy. So tired.

She pushed herself up off the floor. Her headache worsened with each inch she rose until she finally gained her equilibrium again as she sat all the way up.

"There's another one!" A harsh voice announced as someone yanked on her arm and pulled her to her feet.

The pressure in her head was so intense, she was afraid she was going to collapse.

"Who are you?" One of the soldiers demanded as he peered into her face.

She eyed his gun warily. "I...I don't know..." She stammered. "I just...woke up. Here...on the ground..."

The man looked at his comrades. "Anyone know who she is?"

"Nope." Came the resounding reply.

"Check her tags."

One of the soldiers reached for the metal chain around her neck, yanking it aggressively so that she staggered forward a few steps with the force of his pull.

"I didn't tell you to move." The one in front of her announced, pointing the gun at her.

She trembled with fear as she looked at the other who stared at the sparkling ring on her chain. "No one else has one of these."

"No, don't!" She cried, desperately reaching for the ring.

"What's it mean?" The one who seemed to be the leader demanded.

"I do-I don't know." She managed. "I just know that it's important to me."

"Take it."

"Please..." She pleaded as the soldier pulled her chain from around her neck, opened the clasp and pulled the ring from the chain.

"Now, who is she?"

"Colonel Samantha Carter. USAF."

"Take her to the others." The center man commanded.

She was herded to a room, filled with others as bewildered as she was. What had the soldiers done to them?

-

She looked at her companions. The balding man with the...thing...in his hands was strange, she had to admit. But he looked familiar.

_"Hospital gowns turn me on..."_

She grimaced at the memory. He couldn't have given her that lovely ring the soldiers had stolen from her.

She looked at the other. He looked even stranger than the first with his thinning hair and scruffy jawline. Neither looked particularly sane.

They'd said that her name was Samantha Carter. She didn't believe them. That she was Colonel Samantha Carter.

_A gray-haired man raised an eyebrow as he approached her from where he walked down a long, cement hall. "Colonel Carter..." His features softened into a small smile. "How are you?"_

That man was familiar. Why couldn't she place him?

_"I remember feeling feelings." He whispered from where she rested her cheek on his shoulder._

_"For me?" She asked, softly._

_"No, for Tor." He said, sarcastically._

_She laughed at him before they both sobered._

_"I don't remember much. But I do remember that."_

She bit her lip as she looked back at her companions. She needed to get back to him. Whomever "he" was...

-

Sam sat in her office, inhaling as she began to type the report of the latest disaster. Jack would be so worried when he heard about what had been going on. Not to mention that they'd missed their fair share of scheduled check-ins.

He probably had feared the worst and begun a frenzied investigation into what had happened.

She sighed. She also had to find a way to tell him that she'd lost her engagement ring in the fray.

"Colonel Carter?" Major Lorne asked, looking a great deal more like himself than the man who had terrorized the city with his tyrannical reign.

"Major," she said, managing a small, yet preoccupied smile. "What can I do for you?"

"It's...not what you can do for me, ma'am." He said with a small sigh. "It's what I can do for you."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Captain Hamilton returned these things to me, and I wanted to return them to you."

"Oh?"

He revealed her dog tags and the gold-banded diamond engagement ring they'd taken from her. He placed them on her desk before he stood erect. "Any punishment you deem necessary for such a theft would be entirely just," he continued.

"Major Lorne, relax." Sam said, fingering the ring with an affectionate smile befor eshe looked back at him. "You weren't yourself. There won't be an disciplinary action."

He looked visibly relieved. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Dr. Keller has cleared you for active duty?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. I'll look forward to your report of this situation then."

He nodded again."Anything else?"

"No, ma'am."

"All right, then. Dismissed."

He walked out the door, and Sam turned back to her laptop. Scratch telling Jack that her ring was nowhere to be found. She smiled softly as she looked back at the ring. She'd made it back to her memory. She'd found her way back from the depths of confusion.

If that was possible, then she was capable of getting back to him safely and soundly at the end of her tour.

She looked at the picture of SG-1 she had on her desk. She pressed her lips to her fingers before she pressed them to the picture.

She was grateful that her memory had returned. She really was.

She sighed softly as she looked back at her laptop - the only real way she had of communicating with her fiance these days. But the pain of remembering a man who was so far away was intense. More intense than she ever could have imagined.

She reached for the ring and placed it on her left hand with a small sigh.

She missed him.

She sighed once more before she turned to her laptop and began to write her report. She'd write a more personal letter at another time.


	19. Christmas

Sam sat at her desk, reading the reports she'd received from the science teams in the last week. So far, the botanists had found a few new plants, the zoologists had begun studying some new animals that were indigenous to New Latia, and the engineers had studied several of the alien devices.

She set the file she was currently reading down with a small sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose to ward off the oncoming headache. She leaned back in her chair, resting the back of her neck against the top of her chair.

She looked at her calendar with a small sigh. Today was December 24. And it was business as usual.

It wasn't like she'd expected anything different. She was on a base in the middle of the Pegasus galaxy after all. And she'd spent more than a few Christmases offworld with her team.

But that was just it. She'd rarely spent Christmas without her team. In fact, the only time she could think of was when she'd spent Christmas on the _Prometheus_.

She supposed she'd get through it this year like she'd gotten through it two years ago.

"Colonel Carter?" Chuck Campbell's voice came through her earpiece.

She tapped it gently. "Yes, Chuck?"

"Ma'am, the Daedelus has just delivered its scheduled supply stock."

When she'd seen the schedule of deliveries from Earth, she'd wondered why the Daedelus crew wouldn't just take a little time for Christmas with their families on Earth, and then Colonel Caldwell had explained that there was a bit of a "time difference" between Lantia and Earth. Earth's Christmas would happen a few weeks earlier than Lantia's Christmas. Something to do with the length of the days on this planet. For once in her life, the explanation bored her, and she'd found her mind wandering to how much she wanted Jack and the team (at the very least) to come through to Atlantis to spend Christmas with her.

"Thank you." She said, managing a small smile as she stood. "I'll be right there."

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"There are a lot of Christmas presents in this batch."

She wanted to be home for Christmas mass and opening presents. She wanted spend Christmas eve curled up by the fire at Jack's cabin as they sipped egg nog and reminisced about Christmases past. Her favorite moment from last year's Christmas, where they'd done just that, had been when he had told her about what a thrill it had been to be "Santa" for Charlie.

Apparently, one year, he'd been home so far before Christmas that he'd been able to dress up in a Santa suit and surprise Charlie's second grade class at their Christmas party with candy canes and a listening ear as they sat on his lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas.

"Ma'am?"

"Sorry, I must have gotten lost in thought," Sam said, chagrined that she hadn't responded to the Gate technician's last statement. "How many presents came through?"

"A lot." Chuck said, succinctly. "I think you should come and see."

"I'm on my way," she said as she reached the stairs to the Gate room.

Already, she could see the unusually large volume of supplies piled high in the Gate room. "Holy Hannah!" She murmured under her breath as she reached the control room.

Chuck turned around. "What should I do, ma'am?"

"SG teams, 6, 10, and 13 are available, aren't they?"

He nodded.

"Send them down. We'll try to get the supplies and mail sent as quickly as possible."

"Yes, ma'am." He said, quickly adhering to her request as Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon and McKay appeared.

"Someone go shopping?" Sheppard quipped.

Sam smiled appreciatively. "This is the shipment from Earth."

"A bit big, don't you think?"

"Apparently, it's also the Christmas mail run."

"Ah."

"Actually, I'm looking for people who are willing and able to help me go through it. Are you free?"

"I think I have a simulation to run..." McKay said, looking over his shoulder.

Sam raised an eyebrow, and Sheppard looked at his new commander. "Sure. We'll help." He looked over at McKay. "All of us."

She grinned as members from the other teams trickled in. She walked over to one of the large crates and opened it. It was filled with dozens of packages that had been sent to the SGC for the members of the expedition. Sam looked over at Chuck. "Think you can broadcast that every available expedition member needs to be here in the Gate Room in an hour, Chuck?"

He nodded.

"What do you have in mind?" Sheppard asked, noticing Sam's look.

She smiled. "I think we're going to give these out Santa Clause style..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Any crates which have Christmas presents in them," she announced to the group. "Need to be gathered over here. Regular supplies will be taken to their normal places."

They nodded en masse as Sam returned to helping check for the packages.

The hour passed quickly, and by the time people started to arrive for the impromptu gathering, the supplies had been sent to their destinations and the crates with packages in them had been gathered in the corner of the Gate Room.

Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon, and McKay stood in a line beside her as she addressedd the group. "I'm sorry to have pulled you all away from your work, but it's Christmas Eve, and we've received our regularly scheduled shipment from Earth where we receive our necessary supplies and our mail."

She inhaled as she looked out over her command. She got a little choked up as she studied each of their faces, but she managed to swallow down her emotion. "Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hannukah or Kwanzaa or anything else at this time of year, I think it's safe to assume that this is a special time of year for everyone with memories of years past and the promise of future years before us. Because our mail shipment was considerably larger than usual and because it is Christmas Eve, I decided that it might be nice for a change to divvy up the presents collectively. So when I call your name, please come up to the front, receive your package, and return to the audience. Repeat as often as your name is called, and we should be able to finish this in time to return to our personal festivities if we are off-duty or, if you are less fortunate, return to your stations."  
Sheppard offered her the first package, and she read the address line. "Evan Lorne."

The somewhat bewildered major walked forward to claim his package as Sheppard offered the commander another gift.

"Miko Kunisagi." The Japanese scientist walked forward eagerly to retrieve her own package.

"Jennifer Keller," Sam continued as the packages kept coming.

With each person, the smiles got brighter and brighter, causing Sam to smile more herself.

Within an hour, all of the packages had been distributed, and Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said, looking at the Atlantis frontline team. "For all of your help."

"I noticed that you did not receive a package," Teyla said, looking at the commander.

Sam managed a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe mine are still waiting under the tree."

"Or...they were to be hand-delivered..." A familiar voice murmured from behind her.

She turned to find Jack accompanied by Daniel, Teal'c, Vala, and Cam. Each held at least one package in their hands. "J...General O'Neill!" She said, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Jack's smirk was quite clear as he saw the commander's reaction. "Merry Christmas, Carter."

"We didn't know if you had a tree, so we had Colonel Caldwell send one to your office," Vala said, eagerly.

"You didn't have to do that," Sam said, looking at the team with an affectionate smile.

"Aw, it wasn't any trouble." Cam said, waving her concern away.

"We should get back to our posts," Sheppard said, placing a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder. "Have a merry Christmas, okay?"

She grinned. "No problem with this crowd."

As the team left, Jack turned to Sam. "So...office?" He asked, pointing up to her glass-encased office.

"If there's a tree in there, it's the logical choice," she chuckled.

"Well, it's not real, like it would have been at the cabin, but...I suppose it'll do..." He said as he followed her up the steps to the Control room and up the circular staircase to her office.

She shook her head, affectionately at his words as she walked into the office to find the faux fir tree in the corner of the room, decorated with brightly colored bulbs and tinsel. Sam looked at Vala with a questioning eyebrow. The alien shrugged, sheepishly. "I got bored..."

"And this time, we managed to keep her from either taking hostages or throwing herself surprise birthday parties." Daniel said with a small smile.

Sam grinned as she looked at them. "Thank you. This is great..."

"And you haven't even opened our presents..." Cam quipped.

"Ooh, start with mine!" Vala said as she eagerly waved her hand back and forth.

"Open presents on Christmas Eve?" Sam queried, questioningly.

"Why not?" Jack asked with a wide grin.

"Yeah, why not?" Vala echoed, winning a strange look from the General.

Sam beamed. "Okay, okay..."

"Are you on duty?" Jack asked after a moment.

"Always." She sighed. "Why?"

"I, uh...had this..." He said, pulling out a bottle of wine.

"Well, maybe when I ask Colonel Sheppard to keep an eye on the city we can break that out," Sam said with a small smile.

"Did you see the year?" Daniel asked, gently nudging his friend with his shoulder.

Her brow furrowed. "Hm?"

Jack blushed. "It's, uh...from the year we met."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

He nodded.

"And it's from a winery just outside of Denver." Daniel quipped.

"You'd think it was our anniversary," Sam teased as she looked over at her fiance.

"Oh, there's plenty more where that came from," Jack said with a grin.

Sam smiled softly. "Let's hope it's a good wine then."

He chuckled appreciatively.

"Oh, would you two stop so we can give Samantha her presents?" Vala asked, flippantly.

Sam winked at Jack before she looked over at Vala. "You wanted to be first?"

Vala grinned as she offered a rather large package to Sam, who looked absolutely puzzled by the sheer size of the package. "Open it." She urged.

"Uh...okay..." Sam said, placing the package on her desk as she retrieved a pair of scissors to open the box.

Vala clapped silently in her excitement, and Sam smiled at her enthusiasm. Finally, she opened the box and looked inside. Sam grinned instantly as she looked in the box. With a small smile, she looked over at her friend. "Thank you."

"For what?" Jack asked, looking over at her.

Sam pulled out a few bottles of her favorite lotions and body wash. "They just don't have Bath and Body Works here," she smiled.

"That's an awfully big box for a few bottles of lotion..." Daniel said, dryly. "And it was an awfully big credit card bill." He said, eyeing Vala.

Sam laughed. "Well...there are a few other things in here. Chocolate...nail polish...make-up..."

"Lingerie..." Vala added, gleefully.

Sam eyed Jack for a moment as she began to blush.

"Vala!" Daniel cried, looking over at her.

"What? She doesn't have to wear BDUs anymore..."

"And that was too much information." Daniel grimaced.

Sam closed her eyes as she chuckled softly. Finally, she looked up at Vala. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm next!" Cam cried.

Sam raised an eyebrow as he offered her his own package. "I think you'll enjoy them...I mean, you're not nauseous, are you?"

"Macaroons..." Sam said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Yep. My grandma's recipe."

"I'm sure they'll be delightful..." She managed.

"Oh, you're gonna give 'em away..." Cam said as his face fell.

"She's not a big coconut fan." Jack explained. "I once made chocolate cake with this pecan and coconut frosting, and she turned her nose up at it."

Sam shrugged, sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"Nah." Cam sighed. "S'okay."

"I really appreciate the thought though." She assured.

"Yeah...well...that's all that counts..."

"I guess it's my turn." Daniel said, jumping in.

Sam looked over at her friend before looking at the rest of them. "I sent your presents to Earth with the last shipment from Atlantis to Earth..."

"We got them." Jack assured. "And it was nice to get something from off-world."

She grinned excitedly. "When I saw them in the market, I just knew I had to...I mean, maybe it's a little...superstitious, but it's a reminder of what we do everyday." She said, eagerly.

Jack nodded. "Yes...we all got the, uh, symbolism of the off-world version of the rabbit's foot."

"An alien turtle shell is...definitely something to be explained..." Daniel agreed.

"Especially when you're not going out on missions anymore," Jack teased.

"It is indeed gratifying that you are mindful of how often we require fortunate circumstances."

"It's "good luck", T." Jack corrected as he looked over at the Jaffa.

"I think it might be my turn," Daniel said, changing the subject.

"Okay," Sam said, surprised. "But I thought..."

"Vala's going to pay me back for that..." He said, turning a glare to the woman who stood beside him, batting her eyelashes somewhat innocently at him. He looked back at a thoroughly amused Sam as he offered her a package. "I found this and thought of you."

She seemed somewhat surprised as she opened the package. She gasped in surprise. "No way!"

"Yes way," Daniel chuckled.

"What way?" Jack asked, confused.

"How did you..." Sam began, stumbling over her thoughts which were racing. "I mean, there's no possible..."

"I know a guy."

"What guy?" Jack asked, looking between the archaeologist and the astrophysicist.

"It's a recreation of some Greek astronomical notes which must have been found in some sort of archaeological dig." Sam said in awe.

Jack's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"I know someone who works in Greece," Daniel admitted with a small shrug. "All it took was a phone call, and he agreed to do his best to copy the notes so that you could have a copy yourself."

"Thank you, Daniel." Sam said with a grin. "This is great."

"I believe that I am the next in line," Teal'c said, soberly stepping forward.

"I think I'm next..." Jack interrupted.

"You'll get your turn," Vala said, rolling her eyes. "After Teal'c."

"We'll even leave you two alone for a little while so you can give her your present." Daniel teased.

Jack instantly quieted as the Jaffa stepped forward and offered Sam a small package. She smiled softly as she recognized the picture of renowned cellist, Yo Yo Ma, on the front cover. "Thank you, Teal'c." She said, gratefully.

"For the times that you feel you have need to leave your cares at your doorstep." He said, nodding.

"This is perfect," she assured as she offered the Jaffa a big hug.

She hugged each of the other members of SG-1 before she reached Jack. She stood before him in a somwhat awkward silence. She wanted to fling her arms around him and kiss him, but she couldn't. Not while there were so many who would see or hear about such an event.

"Look at them," Jack said, shaking his head as he watched the rest of the team leave. "Honestly...who do they think they're fooling?"

Sam smiled softly as she turned her head to watch them close the door behind them. Finally, she turned back to him. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too."

"I was feeling pretty lonely this morning. And yesterday...and since I came out, really."

"But you're good?"

"Fine." She assured.

"I was worried a few months ago when you didn't make your scheduled check-in..."

"I thought I sent in my report..."

"Yes, but that wasn't until a few weeks after your original check-in."

"Right."

"I'm just glad you're okay." He said, seriously.

"I am." She promised.

"I have a present for you...well, a few, I guess."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "One from Mark and his family. One from Cassie. A couple from me."

"You didn't have to do all that."

"No, but I wanted you to know how much we love and miss you on Earth."

She managed a grateful smile. "Thank you..."

"Open this one first." Jack said, offering her a small box.

"Okay..." She said, making quick work of the package. Almost instantly, she saw a sea of Hershey's kisses of varying flavors. "What is this?"

"Everyday I can't kiss you, I want you to take one of these." He said, soberly.

She smiled softly. "You couldn't have chose a fruit?" she teased.

He chuckled. "If I could find one that either looked like a kiss or was called..."

"It's perfect." Sam said, softly.

"Open this one next..."

She did so to find an electric neck massager. She looked at him curiously.

"I figured if you could figure out how to power a laptop in a city without outlets, you could figure out how to power this little guy."

She smiled appreciatively.

"Besides, I figure you could use it right about now."

"Actually, that would be a bet you would win," she admitted. "What's in the envelope?"

The third "package" was a thin envelope, and he inhaled. "A certificate for a spa retreat. It shouldn't expire before you come home - even just for a few weeks' leave - and I figured you could use the break whenever you do show up."

"This was perfect," she said, wanting to lean in and kiss his lips gently. With her office surrounded by glass for all to look into, she didn't.

"Good. I'm glad."

"Dinner?" She asked, motioning to the door.

"You're not going to open..." He began, looking at the other packages he'd brought from Cassandra and Mark.

"I thought I'd save these for Christmas day," she admitted.

"Ah."

"I was going to get some dinner. How would you like to..."

"I'll come with." He said, interrupting her.

They walked slowly to the commissary. Sam looked over at her gray-haired companion before she inhaled. "Uh...sir?"

"Yes...Carter?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming. It's really good to see you."

"You're welcome." He said, softly, as he rounded the corner into the commissary. "Now...tell me they have good cake..."

-

_Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!_


	20. Trio

Sam sighed as she looked around her at the Genii mining office. She really hated getting trapped, and getting trapped with McKay was one of the more grating parts of the experience.

"Hey, I got some files here. Can anyone read Genii?" Keller asked, looking up from where she was leafing through some files.

Keller was a smart girl, she thought to herself. A little easily distracted and a more than a little naive about what she'd gotten herself into, but a smart and capable base physician nonetheless.

"Hello, hello." McKay said, holding up a file from another closet.

Sam looked over at him. "What have you got?" She asked, trying not to show her persistent annoyance with the over-confident, bumbling physicist.

"Grappling hook. Or at least, something we can use as a grappling hook."

Sam's eyes widened. That could get them home.

"Great! Now all we need is some rope." Keller said with a grin.

"Okay, just a sec—the ceiling is like, what, twenty feet?" He said, looking up.

"Twenty-five?" Sam countered.

"All right, twenty-five." He said, giving in.

Sam instantly began looking for some rope as McKay continued. "So, our jackets end to end are five or six feet…tie those to our shirts, maybe even our pants together…that should be able to get us up there and support our weight."

"Great." Keller said, looking over McKay as she began taking off her jacket.

"Found rope!" Sam said, holding up her find as she noticed Keller's shirt was halfway up.

She was somewhat happy to see the disappointment in McKay's eyes as Jennifer pulled her shirt down again with a triumphant smile.

"Rope and lanterns." Sam said eagerly.

"Oh good." He murmured, unenthusiastically.

"More than enough for what we need." She said with grin.

"Well, nice work."

"Thank you." She said with a smirk.

Maybe there were some perks to this particular entrapment after all.

-

Sam kept knotting the rope with a small sigh. Keller was babbling on and on about something. She'd stopped paying attention a few minutes earlier.

"...just the fact that we could fall into a giant...abyss...has me a little freaked right now...and I'm willing to do just about anything to keep my mind off it."

Sam looked up at the doctor. "Well," she began slowly. "Uh, the employee evaluations are coming up. How are you finding your new team?"

"Uh, they're great. Everyone's super smart, and we all get along pretty wonderfully, actually."

"Good." She said, focusing on her knotting. "Good."

Jennifer looked over at her, somewhat nervously. "How am I doing? I mean, are you happy with..."

"Oh, yeah." She assured, recognizing the awkwardness of her question. "You're going to get a great evaluation."

"Well, good." She said, nodding as she returned to her work. "That's good to hear."

Sam sighed as she looked at Jennifer. She was trying to make conversation. She didn't need to make it so hard. "I'm sorry." She finally apologized. "My default is always work, uh...I..."

"Oh, that's okay." She said, shaking her head.

What was a relatively safe topic, she asked herself. What could she ask that wouldn't make her seem cold, distant...heartless...

"Are you seeing anyone?" She finally blurted.

Jennifer's eyes widened. "What?"

Sam looked over at McKay discreetly. "On the base. Are you seeing anyone?"

"Well, I...kinda had a moment with, uh...this guy. But he's kind of hard to read, so, I guess the short answer is "no"." Jennifer paused before she looked back up at Sam. "You?"

"Well, I'm the boss, so I can't actually..." She said, shaking her head.

"Right." She said, nodding. "Of course. Anyone back home?"

Sam remembered the ring around her neck. "Uh..."

"Yeah. Thought so." She smirked. "Spill it."

She laughed mirthlessly. "Well, it's complicated..."

"Show me a relationship that isn't." She chuckled.

"He's in Washington." Sam explained, thinking of her fiance. "I'm here..."

Keller nodded. "Long distance relationship, huh?"

"Uh..." Sam stammered, uncomfortably before she shrugged. "He's going to retire soon, so...who knows?"

"Really?" She asked, surprised. "Retire? Older man, huh?"

Sam looked in surprise. Jack was less than fifteen years older than she was, but...that really wasn't that much older in the scheme of things. "Well, he's not that much older..."

"Let's see...older man...Washington...is he a senator? Somebody famous? Would I know him?"

"Probably not." She said with a shaky smile as she remembered hearing what the nurses had said about the General when he'd twisted his knee this past Christmas and been escorted to the infirmary to get it checked out.

"Wait...you're not seeing..." Keller began.

Sam looked up, somewhat concerned.

"General O'Neill?!"

Sam tensed. "I think we should go back to that..."would you rather" game..."

"You're having an affair with General O'Neill!" She cried, excitedly.

Sam looked back somewhat worriedly at Rodney, who was still busy with his files. "Uh..."

Jennifer caught on, and looked back at her. "How did we not know? I mean, he was here just a few months ago."

Sam swallowed. "Well, we are trying to be discreet...given the fact that...well, it's not against regulations for us to be in a relationship now, but...we used to be in the same chain of command and some people..."

"Your secret's safe with me." Jen interrupted.

"Are you guys done yet?" Rodney asked, walking over somewhat irritatedly.

Sam turned a look to the scientist. "Uh..." She coughed. "Still working." She looked over at him. "We could use your help..."

"Fine." He said, walking over as he tucked the files under his arm.

She rolled her eyes as he sat down and continued to read the files where they sat.

"So..." Keller began. "Steve Carrell or Stephen Colbert?"

-

"I'm almost there." She murmured as she began to stand on the bridge they'd created.

Another tremor struck, shifting the boards and crates out from under her. She closed her eyes as she braced for another impact against the cold, cement floor.

Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she heard Keller's voice. "Oh no!"

She fell to the ground, getting the wind knocked out of her as she heard a snap in her leg. "Whoa!"

"Sam!" Keller cried.

Sam grimaced as she tried to touch her injured leg.

"Don't move! Don't move!" McKay cried, reaching her before the doctor.

She groaned in pain as Keller arrived. Sam tried to breathe deeply until Keller's preliminary examination reached her right leg. "GAH!" She screamed.

"Your leg is broken." Jennifer said, matter-of-factly.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she tried to breathe against the pain. "Oh! We're in trouble now, aren't we?"

McKay's voice was somewhat shaky. "No, we'll be fine. We just, uh…we'll be fine."

"Now I know how Jack felt," she murmured, touching a hand to her forehead in agony as she remembered splinting Jack's leg in the ice of Antarctica in her first year with the Stargate Program.

Just desserts...and all that, she thought to herself.

"Rodney, roll up her pant leg." Jennifer ordered as she went to retrieve her pack.

"Okay. Can you help me?" Jennifer said, returning with the pack. "Okay. One hand here, on her knee."

"Ow!" Sam cried in protest.

"One hand down here, on her ankle. Keep it nice and straight." Jennifer continued, looking at McKay. She turned back to Sam as Rodney did as he was instructed. "You're not going to like this, but I gotta take your boot off."

"Yeah, I thought you might." She said with a groan.

The doctor carefully unlaced the boot before she looked up at Sam. "Okay. Here it comes."

Sam braced herself as the doctor gently tugged on the boot. "Agh!" She cried as she winced.

Keller gently pulled off Sam's sock, and suddenly, Sam was grateful that she'd taken the time to paint her toenails the night before. It was going to be a while before she was able to reach them again.

"Okay. Tell me when you can feel my finger on the bottom of your foot."

"Okay." She said as Keller began to gently touch Sam's foot.

"Yep…Yeah."

"Here?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." She said as she reached around to find a small piece of wood from the broken crate. She looked over at McKay. "We need to find another one of these - make a splint."

"Okay." He said, nodding.

Sam closed her eyes as she pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead. She'd bruised something internally, she was pretty sure. She needed to get them out of here. She couldn't afford to be the patient. Not as the only trained military escort for these two civilians...

Her mind was working quickly as she thought about her leg. That was the most likely place for internal bleeding. She was pretty sure it was the only broken bone in her body. That gave them...an hour...before they really needed to panic.

Keller and McKay returned after a moment with another board, and Sam looked over at them. "So, what? Hour before internal bleeding becomes a problem?"

They both looked stunned.

"How did you..?" Rodney asked, surprised.

"It's not my first rodeo, Rodney." She sighed. Let's see, there'd been Jack, Daniel more than a few times, Cam once, and though Vala had never broken a bone, Sam was almost positive that it might not be too long before Daniel wanted to change that. Those two had issues on both fronts.

"Here's some ibuprofen." Jennifer said, offering her a couple of pills as she interrupted her wandering train of thought.

"Ibuprofen?!" Rodney asked in shock. "That's the strongest thing you've got?!"

"It's all I have in this basic kit." Keller defended. "Although, from this point on, I think I'm making morphine mandatory…as well as maybe a grappling gun."

"I wouldn't take the morphine." Sam interrupted. She'd done that once before too, and with Cam, she'd been okay. She'd only had to go without the pain meds once in order to do her part to get them home. "Got to keep a clear head. We still have to figure a way out of here…" She let out a low hiss in pain. "At least one of us does. Chances are pretty slim that I'm going to…climb out." She winced as Keller set her leg. "Ow."

"Yeah, well the crates are out."

"Yep." Sam agreed.

"Hey, if you got an idea," Rodney said, turning to Jennifer. "Feel free."

"Hey, I came up with the bar trick thing, okay?" She protested. "And that didn't work out so well, so I think I'll just…leave it to the pros."

"Yeah."

Sam felt the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't afford this right now. She couldn't do this right now. She needed to stay strong.

Rodney looked at her and she shot him an annoyed look. "Sorry. All my energy's focused on not screaming in agony."

"Wonderful." He sighed.

Jennifer left for a moment, and Sam tried to focus on what Rodney was saying, though her mind went back in time to another time he'd been the reason for one of her injuries. That man owed her. She still didn't have feeling in part of her hand.

"Okay." He said, thinking out loud. "Well, the grappling hook because the hook wouldn't hold our weight in the soil. The crates didn't work because Sam was too heavy, uh…"

She glared at him.

"Oh…" He said, noticing her look. "We all would've been. I mean…our weight in general. It had nothing to do with you. It just…you…I mean, you're in very good shape. Seriously, you have, like the perfect body."

Keller returned with some blankets which she'd rolled up to pillow Sam's head. She gave the physicist her own glare.

"Oh!" He said, looking at the other woman he was stuck with. "Not that you don't! Oh, no, no, no. I realize that your bodies are different, and-and-and, uh maybe-maybe that that would mean that I think that your body is imperfect, but that is not the case. No, no, no. Far, far-far from it—that—that is, a sweet…uh, which is to say…I mean, it would be impossible for me to choose which of you—"

"Rest assured," Sam interrupted, irritatedly. "You're never gonna have to."

"Aw, if we'd kept quiet, I bet he would've gone on like that forever." Keller said, dryly.

"Okay, I'm sorry." He said, seriously. "What I mean is-is that you have—"

"Rodney." She snapped. "Stay on topic."

"Right." He said, nodding soberly. "Okay, uh, right…where was I?"

Sam sighed. It was going to be a long trip home...

-

Sam sat up in the infirmary, looking somewhat forlornly at her leg. Oh that she could just...will it healed and return to duty.

"Colonel Carter?" John Sheppard called.

She touched her headset gently. "This is Colonel Carter..."

"We're receiving a message from Earth from General O'Neill. He stated that it is for your eyes only."

"I don't have my laptop."

Jennifer looked over at her. "Because you're recovering..."

"Ask Dr. Keller if you can use hers. The General seemed rather adamant about getting through to you."

Sam looked over at the physician who sighed and turned over one of the tablets.

"One hour. Tops." Keller said, raising an eyebrow.

Sam managed a grateful smile as she accessed the telemetry. "General O'Neill," she greeted. "It's good to see you."

"Only wish it was in person," Jack admitted. "How are you?"

"Fine. Another day or two in the infirmary, and then I'm on crutches."

He studied her closely, and she wished she'd had access to a shower or at least a little makeup to make herself a little more presentable. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes." She assured.

"I got your report. What about these people? Have you tried to get in touch with them again?"

"I sent Major Lorne's team to handle the negotiations." She said, nodding. "They were unwilling to budge on any of their requirements, and we're just not capable of paying them back for the Genii's misconduct." She sighed. "We, uh...we failed."

"It was their choice, Carter. You have to remember that."

"Yes, sir." She said, wishing once again that they were in a more private place so that she could say the things that were on her mind.

"I sent you a data file with this message." He admitted. "Knowing we have a...thirty-eight minute window and all that..."

"Actually, sir, with some sort of matter or energy travelling back through the Gate, it can stay open...well, almost indefinitely..." She corrected.

"Right..." He sighed. "There's a letter from Cassie. A few from Mark, Cindy and the kids..."

"One from Daniel, Teal'c, Vala, and Cam?" She asked, hopefully.

He nodded again. "As well as one from me."

She managed a small smile. "Thank you...sir...that means a lot."

"Maybe when you come for your review, we can have...lunch...or something."

It was the "or something" she was most looking forward to. "You got it...sir."

"Well, I gotta go. Landry's complaining about how I'm tying up the phone line."

She grinned. "It was good to hear your voice," she admitted after a moment.

"And yours." He said, nodding. "Get well soon."

"Do my best." She promised.

He looked around him and then back at the screen as he opened his mouth.

"Me too, sir." She interrupted before he could jeopardize their discretion.

His features softened as he smiled affectionately. "See you in a few months, then."

"Undomestiquated equines, sir..." She said, referencing Teal'c's beloved phrase.

He grinned. "Take care."

"Backatcha."

"O'Neill out."

The transmission was ended, and Sam sighed. It was never long enough.

"Long-distance relationships...they're the worst..." Keller admitted from beside her.

Sam managed a faltering smile. "I would have to agree with you..."


	21. Last Man

Jack O'Neill stood in Arlington National Cemetery, wanting to actually be as alone as he felt. To his left stood Mark, his wife, Cindy, and their two young-adult children, Mike and Katie. To his right stood Hammond, Landry, Cassie, Daniel, Vala, Teal'c, Mitchell, Ronon, McKay and Keller.  
Another empty casket was to be buried thanks to the Stargate Program.

He'd known this would happen. He'd been able to feel it in his bones that she wouldn't come back when she first announced her candidacy for Elizabeth Weir's job. He couldn't explain it. Maybe it was how the feeling he normally got in his gut resounded throughout his body at how violently he protested any thought of her death.

Now, he'd never see her again. Never see how the sunlight would reflect off her golden hair first thing in the morning. Never feel her sweet lips against his own. Never touch her again. Never hold her and whisper that everything was going to be okay. Never get swallowed up in the depths of the oceanic orbs she had for eyes.

He stared at the ground which had been unearthed to house her nonexistent body. It was darkening in color as even the heavens wept for the loss of this National Treasure.

It should have been me, he thought to himself.

_Sam stood after her debrief at the Pentagon. She'd been successful in procuring the supplies necessary to fend off Michael and his army of hybrids, but it was a hollow victory until she knew that she'd seen the last of the threat. Jack could see that in her eyes as she tried to organize the reports she'd strewn across the table in front of her._

_"Hey."_

_She turned, and gave him as wide a smile as she could muster. "Hey."_

_"Good work."_

_Her face became lined again as she thought of just how much still needed to be done. "Not over yet," she murmured, returning to her task of filing the reports into her briefcase._

_Jack studied her. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun and she was wearing her dress uniform for the first time in ages. It hung loosely from her thinning frame, and he noticed how much weight she'd lost in her worry and sleepless nights._

_"How are you doing?"_

_"Fine," she said, mechanically._

_"Look at me," he commanded gently as he grasped her hand. She turned her blue eyes to him as he continued. "How are you doing?"_

_She inhaled and exhaled slowly as she set the briefcase on the table. "I'm worried," she admitted. "With the Hoffan drug being disseminated throughout the Pegasus Galaxy and Michael's army..." She sighed softly. "We're fighting a losing battle on two fronts, and I'm not sure how much longer our little band of airmen, Marines, and scientists will be able to hold out..."_

_"Hey, that's quitter talk." He chided, gently. "The odds were against us when we were fighting the goa'uld. And the Replicators..."_

_"We're still looking for Ba'al and his clones, you were almost killed by the Replicators in Atlantis..." She reminded. "And now with the Ori, the Wraith, and Michael..."_

_"Hey." He said, softly interrupting her._

_She looked up at him with watery eyes. She wasn't on the verge of tears, but rather so overwhelmed and weary that she hardly knew what to do next._

_"C'mere." He invited as he wrapped his arms around her._

_She clung to him, sorrowfully, as a single tear slipped down her cheek and found its place on his dress uniform jacket. "I don't think I can do this," she whispered._

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Sam's brother, Mark. Jack saw the pain in his blue eyes. He was the last one in his family alive. "I'm sorry, Jack," he managed.

"She was your sister," he said, softly.

"She was your wife," Mark returned with a soft pat on his shoulder.

They'd decided to marry before she returned to Atlantis, commanding the new ship which had just been finished at Area 51. There was virtually no reason to hold the secret any longer. Not with all of the threat.

Back in Vegas, where it had all began, they'd gathered SG-1, Hammond, Landry, Cassie, and Mark's family as witnesses to the small ceremony.  
That day was the last time Jack had seen Sam's face brightened with pure and unadulterated joy. Even their wedding night had been tinted with the notion that she might not come back this time.

Jack nodded as Cindy walked over and hugged him tightly. "We'll be praying for you," she whispered.

He sighed softly. "Thanks."

"If you need anything, Uncle Jack..." Katie said as her mother released the embrace.

He managed a small smile as he looked at the young woman. "Backatcha."

They walked away as he remembered that last night together before she went back to Atlantis.

_"Jack," she whispered as she lay awake beside him, running her fingers through his gray hair._

_"Hm?" He murmured from where he lay on his stomach, tracing lazy circles on her stomach with his left hand as his cheek rested against the fleshy part of her shoulder._

_"I want you to know," she began. "In case I don't come back..."_

_"Don't go there." He interrupted as his head snapped up and he looked into her eyes. "We've got another week before you're able to go, and I..."_

_"Please," she interrupted with tears shining in her eyes. "I...I need to say this."_

_His heart broke as he saw the depth of her sadness. He sighed. "Okay...go ahead."_

_"I love you, Jack O'Neill." She whispered. "I always have."_

_"I know." He said, seriously. "I love you too."_

_A single tear slipped down her cheek. "And even though I have a lot of regrets, being with you for however brief a time it seems, has never been one of them._

_He wiped the tear from her eyes as he looked at her, tenderly. "You have nothing to regret, Sam."_

_Her lips trembled as she tried to fight back the tears which begged to be shed. "Yes, Jack," she managed. "Yes, I do. And they start with hiding my feelings for you in that damn room."_

_"I didn't stop you, did I?" He asked, earnestly._

_"No, but I didn't give you much chance to..."_

_"And we're together now, aren't we?" He interrupted._

_She managed a sad smile. "Yes, Jack. We are."_

_"Then, there's nothing to regret if you don't come back."_

_He rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling as the conversation lapsed._

_"I'll regret not coming back," she managed a few moments later as she rolled onto her side and fell into a restless sleep._

He felt another hand on his shoulder - this time from the opposite side. He turned to find Daniel and Teal'c looking at him, soberly.

"Thanks for coming," he managed. "Sam would have liked to know that you were here." He looked at the rest of the group. "All of you."

"She was doing what she thought she needed to do," Vala reminded him. "It was her choice..."

"Let Michael's hive ships continue their attack or give up her life to take them out?" He asked, bitterly. "Some choice."

"Colonel Carter saved many lives," Teal'c said, soberly.

"Yeah?" He asked after a moment. "Well, then why couldn't one of them have been her own?"

He walked away from the tangible reminder that his wife was dead as he left his colleagues behind him.

He walked over to the car that Hammond had ordered for him, and he looked up at the driver.

"Home, sir?"

"Yeah." He sighed, wanting to curl up in the backseat and never awaken again.

He'd known her for fifteen years, and in that time, she had given him so much. He'd only returned a fraction of her love and support. She'd saved his life more times than he could remember. She'd given him a reason to keep fighting when he thought that the fight wasn't worth the cost anymore. She'd taught him how to love when he thought he couldn't bear the pain that accompanied it anymore.

The minutes passed slowly as the car drove sedately to its destination. He stepped out of the car, and stared at the townhome with a small sigh.

"Sir?" The driver asked, rolling down his window.

"I'm okay." Jack said, looking over at the man absently.

"If you're sure..."

"Go on." Jack said, nodding. "I'll be fine."

The car backed out of the driveway as Jack looked back at the car.

"The next step is to actually go inside," the familiar voice encouraged.

"Not without you." He said, looking over to see a memory of his wife standing beside him.

"You're never without me. Especially now." She assured, soberly. "I'm still a part of you."

He sighed heavily. "Empty comfort given that I just went to your funeral."

"It's hard," she acknowledged. "I know that. But I also know that you can do this."

He shook his head. "No. no, I can't."

"What did you say when I told you I couldn't lead Atlantis in the battle against Michael?" She asked, soberly.

"Don't," he whispered as the pain in his heart grew when he realized he'd pushed her toward her death.

"I know you can do it," she quoted softly. "Becuase you've done it before. And you'll do it again."

"Don't make me do this, Sam." He whispered. "Not without you."

"I'm never going to leave your side, Jack." She murmured. "Because our love transcends every dimension we can think of, and a few we didn't even know exist."

"What am I going to do, Sam?"

"What you think is right." She said, simply. "Like you always have. Like you always do."

"Sam..."

She vanished, and he rubbed his eyes gently. He needed to get some sleep.

He walked into the house, almost unaware of his actions. He closed the door behind him and placed his uniform hat on the hat rack by the door.

_"I still can't believe you invited General Hammond to this event," Sam laughed as they walked in the front door of his townhome._

_"I invited you, didn't I?"_

_"And I was completely useless," she laughed._

_"Not useless," he teased, kissing her nose. "You were gorgeous."_

_She blushed. "Jack..."_

She was everywhere in his memory, he sighed as he walked up the stairs. There was the couch where she'd told him that she would be leaving for a three-month tour with the Prometheus. There was the coffee table which had housed the Loaded Questions game they'd played with Cassie and Daniel. He walked into the kitchen. He and Sam had made breakfast in this kitchen so often. He'd come up behind her and kissed the soft flesh at the back of her neck so many times.

He missed her so badly that his body ached to touch her again, smell her soft perfume, and feel the gentleness of her caresses.

He looked over at the counter in time to see the blinking light on the answering machine. He pressed the button mechanically though he probably wouldn't pay much attention to the voice.

"Jack? It's...It's me, Sara...I heard about that Carter woman you used to work with on the news...I just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear about the explosion...She seemed like a good woman...Well...I guess I'll just...leave my number in case you need anything."

He closed his eyes as he felt the pain of his first marriage's end wash over him again.

"General O'Neill, it's, uh...it's Rodney McKay...I found Sam's laptop in her quarters when we were boxing them up...There were some letters she wanted distributed in case she...well, in case this happened...I'll leave it with Dr. Jackson at Cheyenne Mountain...anyway...again, I'm sorry for your loss..."

_"Jack?" She asked, looking over at him from where she rested on the couch after being shot by the Ori soldier._

_"Hm?" He asked from where he'd been playing his GameBoy._

_"I...I need to talk to you..."_

_"Sure." He said, setting down the game. "What's up?"_

_She inhaled deeply as she toyed with the ring on her left ring finger. "In case...I don't come back someday..."_

_"Okay, stop right there."_

_"I'm just being a pragmatist." She defended. "There are some things you need to know..."_

_"I know, I know...no extraordinary means. We've done this dance before."_

_She looked over at him, somewhat surprised. "What?"_

_"When you were taken over by that...probe thing...Janet told me about your living will."_

_"Oh."_

_"I don't really want to back over that."_

_"This...what I want to tell you...is a little different than that..."_

_"Oh?"_

_She swallowed as she looked at her computer._

_"In my personal directory, there's a file."_

_He raised an eyebrow. "Okay..."_

_"It's letters mostly. One to Mark. One to Cassie." Her breath hitched for a moment before she looked at him with moist eyes. "One to you."_

_"Sam..."_

_"The password's "fishing"."_

_"Don't..."_

_"Please," she whispered._

_He sighed. "Okay. Personal directory. File with letter mostly. Password's fishing."_

"Jack? Jack, I know you're there..." Daniel's voice interrupted his thoughts. "He's got to be home now," he murmured to another individual - probably Vala. "Jack, we're going to be at the hotel for another few days before we go back to Colorado. Do you want someone to come and stay with you? Teal'c's willling to go. I can go. If you want, we can all come."

Jack shook his head, nonverbally.

"Call us if you need anything."

The messages stopped, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he reached into the fridge. Only one beer left. He'd drunk the majority of it with the team the night before. Maybe it was time to break out the heavier stuff. He reached into the shelf above the stove and pulled out the scotch. He reached for a glass.

_He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room of the Colorado Springs house. "Wanna glass? I can wash one."_

_"No, I'm fine, thank you Sir." She said as she took the bottle. She pointed to one of the family pictures on the wall. "So, do you ever talk to her?"_

_"Can we not talk about that?" He asked, tensing._

_"Sorry." She grimaced. "How you feeling?"_

_"Can we not talk about that either?" He asked, walking over to the couch._

_She inhaled. "Okay."_

_He sat down on the couch as she nervously looked at him. "What do you want to talk about?"_

_He looked up at her, and her face fell as she realized he didn't want to talk about anything._

_"You want to be alone." She sighed as she set her beer on the table. "This was a bad…" She began. She looked back at him. "I should go."_

_"Finish your beer." He instructed. "And then you have to wait at least...an hour before you drive."_

_She sat down with a small sigh. "Sir…"_

_There was a long pause before he finally looked over at her. "What?"_

_"I should have done it." She said, softly._

_"What? Stick your head in that thing?"_

_She nodded._

_"Are you nuts?" He asked, studying the woman he loved. "Carter, you're one of this country's natural resources, if not national treasures."_

_She blushed lightly as he felt somewhat proud to have a moment alone with her where he could at the very least begin to tell her how he felt. "It couldn't have gone down any other way."_

_She looked over at him. She had more than a few things she wanted to tell him. He could read it in her eyes._

_"I just…hope it's worth it." He murmured as he took a sip of his beer._

Now, he really knew what she'd been about to say when he interrupted her rant about how losing him would never be worth it - even if they got all that they had wanted to get. Her death was a hollow dent in Michael's plans.

He left the glass in the cupboard as he walked over to the couch with the bottle of scotch in hand. He sipped at the amber liquid, wincing for a moment at how it burned on its way down his esophagus.

By the time he'd finished half of the bottle, he had a plan.

-

"We need to take the fight back to Michael. Just like Colonel Carter." Jack said, pounding President Henry Hayes's desk emphatically.

"I know." The President said, seriously. "But I can't let you command it. You're not a fighter pilot anymore, Jack. You're the Head of Homeworld Security. It's about time you got that through that thick skull of yours!"

"She was my wife!"

"I know that, and I can only imagine how much you're hurting right now, but I can't approve the mission. And you know it."

Jack looked at the President with simmering anger in his eyes before he turned heel and left the room.

Hayes turned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "He's going to do something stupid, isn't he?"

They sighed. "Most likely." One of them admitted.

-

"How'd it go?" Daniel asked, looking at Jack as he walked in the door to the townhome.

"He didn't approve the mission." He said as he stormed into his bedroom, pulling the drawers open and filling a small regulation suitcase with his clothes.

"He didn't?" Daniel asked, surprised. "So...why are you packing?"

"Because someone needs to finish what she started, Daniel." He explained. "And I'm the best person to do that."

"Jack, you're the Head of Homeworld..."

"I KNOW!" He roared in the archaeologist's face.

Daniel inhaled as Jack returned to his task. "It's not going to bring her back, you know."

"Maybe not." Jack paused in his work. "But I'll be close to her again."

"Jack..." Daniel sighed.

"Are you coming or not?" Jack asked after a moment.

Daniel swallowed. "I guess...I'm not..."

Jack sighed before he turned back to close the suitcase. "I guess this is goodbye, then."

He pushed past his friend. "Hey, T, you up for an adventure? One last jaunt through space?"

Teal'c studied his friend before he looked at Daniel who had hung his head with a small sigh.

"Indeed, O'Neill."

"Excellent. Grab your coat. We leave for Nevada right now."

-

"What are you doing, Jack?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" He grunted as he pulled another scientist's body from the ship.

"Stealing a '304 class vessel?" His dead wife asked from beside him.

"That's it!" He said, closing the hold as he hurried to the bridge before anyone could stop him. He got on the radio as he ran. "Hey, T. You all clear?"

"Indeed, O'Neill."

"Great. I think we have a mission to carry out." He said, plotting a course for the Pegasus Galaxy.

"You're not qualified to do this, Jack. You're not qualified to keep a ship like this running."

"Yeah, well..."

"General O'Neill?" Came a voice on the radio.

"Vala?"

"I think you could use my help."

"And mine." Daniel sighed in resignation.

"T, did you hear that?"

"Indeed, I did."

"Get them on board, and then, let's go."

"Hey, don't forget me!" Cam called over the radio.

Sam released a frustrated sigh. "You know how this is going to turn out."

"And I'll beam them to the surface of a planet with a stargate. Just like you did." He said, sitting down at the navigator's chair as he set the zat down beside him.

"Jack..."

"Don't try to talk me out of this, Sam."

"Jack..." Daniel asked as he walked onto the bridge. "Who you talkin' to?"

"Sam." He said, starting the engines.

"Is...she still here?"

"No."

"Is she telling you to do this?"

"No, Danny. She's trying to talk me out of it."

"Jack..."

Jack looked at his friend. "If you want off, say something now."

"I didn't say I wanted off. Just want to make sure this is really what you want."

"Well, it is."

"Okay, then." Daniel sighed. "Off we go...into the wild blue yonder and all that."

He managed to get the hangar doors opened, and the ship raised itself out of the Nevada desert.

"Here we go." Jack murmured as he took the Captain's seat.

-

"Sensors detect three big ships on the radar." Vala announced.

"They're called bogies." Daniel corrected.

"Whatever. There are three of them, and they're probably big." She said, shrugging off his criticism.

"Sounds like Michael's hives." Jack murmured. "Weapons at maximum."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "That's StarTrek, Jack."

"Whatever. Shoot at them." He said, pointing forward.

Daniel sighed as he prepared to fire upon the ships.

"General O'Neill, this is Richard Woolsey of Atlantis," the nasal voice announced over the radio. "The ship you are on is the property of the United States Air Force. Should you return it to Atlantis this very moment, your insubordination may be pardoned."

Jack turned off the radio, and Daniel eyed him. "Still going through with this?"

Jack eyed Daniel. "Still not sure I want this?"

"No. No, I'm sure you want this." He sighed. "You've been trying to off yourself for fifteen years now. Just don't think this is the right thing to do."

Jack looked forward again. "Well, that's where we disagree."

Vala looked at him, silently, and he felt her gaze.

"Look, if we get in real trouble, I'll beam you down to the planet. You can take the Stargate back to Atlantis, and then head home from there."

"And you?"

"I'll do what damage I can." He said, simply.

"You won't even consider beaming down with us. Even if we set the autopilot to crash the ship into the hives?"

Jack swallowed. "I can't go back, Daniel. I stole a classified battleship with the sole purpose of destroying it."

"And she's gone." He finished.

Jack looked forward steadfastly. "I asked for weapons. Were you going to fire or should I?"

Daniel sighed. "Firing on enemy bogies."

"I have two more contacts on screen." Daniel murmured from where he sat beside Jack on the bridge.

"Fire."

"We don't know if they're hives..."

"I said, fire, Daniel." Jack said, soberly.

"Jack, you haven't slept much in weeks."

"Are you saying I'm crazy?"

"I'm saying that's a distinct possibility." He said, seriously.

"Fine. I'll fire." Jack said, reaching for the controls.

"Jack..."

"Who has ships out here anymore, Danny?" He asked, wildly. "Not us. They've all been destroyed. No one else has ships either. The only ships out there are hives, and I'll be damned if I let Sam down."

"You still see her?" Daniel asked after a moment. "She's dead, Jack. None of this will bring her back."

"She's always with me, Danny." He said, seriously. "Now, fire."

"No."

"Dammit, Daniel, I said "fire"!"

Jack moved to the other chair where he quickly fired off two shots, hitting each ship in the prime target for their complete and utter destruction.

"What's happened to you, Jack?" Daniel asked, studying his friend soberly.

"Find the next beacon and follow it." Jack commanded, ignoring the question.

Another ship came out of nowhere, causing an alarm to beep on the screen.

"Jack, get out of here." Sam whispered in his ear.

"I've got a bogie on our six." Jack announced as he maneuvered the ship out of firing range. "Am preparing to fire."

"It's a trap, Jack. Get out of here."

"No, Sam. I've got them." He announced, expertly moving the ship into a position to fire on the ship.

"I've got another contact on the screen," Daniel cried, noticing a second ship which dropped out of hyperspace. "It's behind us."

"Get us into hyperspace." Jack commanded.

A shot was fired on them. "They've taken out the hyperdrive."

Another shot was fired. "There goes life support..."

Jack looked over at his friend, knowing that they couldn't do much without the hyperdrive or life support. "I'm beaming you..."

He was interrupted as he and Daniel were engulfed by the flames which had come as a result of another fatal shot.

-

Woolsey sighed as he read the report from their allies. "It seems that General O'Neill and SG-1 have been killed."

McKay looked up from where he sat in the control room. "What?" He managed.

"Like Colonel Carter, they took a ship and continued her guerilla warfare tactics." He sighed. "When they lost life support and the hyperdrive, they flew their ship into one of the enemy targets and caused a massive enough explosion to take out both hives."

"Like Sam."

Woolsey nodded.

McKay sighed. "That was his plan all along."

"It would seem so." The IOA delegate managed.


	22. Home

Sam walked into the Gate Room with her briefcase in one hand. "Well, John, I assume I can leave the city in your hands?"

"It will be waiting for you when you get back." He said with a grin.

She smiled, appreciatively, as she turned to Chuck and nodded. "Dial the Gate."

A few moments passed before she stepped through the Gate.

"Colonel Carter." Woolsey greeted as she walked into the SGC.

"Mister Woolsey, how are you?" She said with a polite smile.

"Very well, thank you for asking."

She inhaled. "So, is this whole "evaluation process" going to take very long?" She asked, hoping that it would not take long at all. "I mean, there's a lot of work to be done on Atlantis, and I'm kind of anxious to get back."

"I'm sure you are." He said with a faltering smile. "However, the IOA has decided that perhaps someone with a different skill set would be more suited to lead the Atlantis expedition now."

"Excuse me?" She asked, shocked.

"I'm here to inform you that, effective immediately, you are being removed from command." He said, soverly.

Her jaw dropped as she blinked in surprise. "Um…who-who's replacing me?"

"As a matter of fact…I am."

She inhaled sharply.

-

"I can't believe it!" She cried, hitting Daniel's workbench with her hand angrily. "Removing me from command as I've just started to feel comfortable. All because I bruised their ego, and did what I thought was right!" She looked over at Daniel. "Isn't that what they hired me to do?"

"The IOA doesn't know WHAT they want, Sam." Daniel sighed. "They don't understand what goes on here enough to have any clue how things are best done."

"And they're SO smart," Vala murmured sarcastically. "That they actually think they know how to do the job the best."

"I-it's one thing to replace me," Sam said, evenly. "But it's another to do it the way that they did. Meet me at the Gate on this end and say "bye"? Who does that?"

"Richard Woolsey, it would seem." Teal'c said, stoically.

Sam inhaled, angrily. "I get that I don't do things the way they want them. But they knew my style. It's all in my file."

Her cell phone rang, and she sighed. "Excuse me."

She looked at the caller ID, and opened the phone. "Hi, Jack."

"I want to talk to Richard Woolsey."

"He's already stepped through the Gate."

"Smarmy, two-faced, son of a..."

"Jack!"

"He knows as well as I do that you're the best one for the job." He protested. "I should have known something was up when they didn't involve me in your promotion. Dammit! I can't believe they did this to you!"

"Jack, calm down..." She murmured. "I'm upset about it, too. But there's not a whole lot we can do about it."

"We can give 'em hell," he reminded her.

"And that's just going to get you fired." She said, softly.

"I'm going to come out there, and tell Woolsey over videofeed that he's got to have his head examined if he thinks he can do a better job running the city than you."

"Don't bother, Jack. Landry apparently chewed him out pretty well. And so did the President."

"Yes, well..."

"Look, I'm going to stick around here - like they told me to - to make sure I didn't bring back any contagions, but after that, I have some leave, and I think I might come and visit you."

"That would be a good idea." He said, more calmly.

"We can plan our next move from there."

"Landry offer you SG-1 again?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And I need some time to wrap my head around my sudden reassignment..." She explained.

"Okay." He said, seriously.

She sighed softly.

"Hey." He said, more gently. "You okay?"

"More than a little disappointed." She admitted. "I really felt like I was just getting the hang of it..." She inhaled. "And, strange as it may seem, like I'd gotten Richard Woolsey's respect."

Jack sighed. "He's funny like that."

"So, I've learned," she said, dryly.

"Just remember - his beef with you is purely that you're military."

"No, it's not." She said with a sigh. "It's that I'm not going to roll over and play dead so that they can do whatever the hell it is that they want to do. Elizabeth Weir did the same thing, and they didn't like it anymore with her."

"Yes, but they didn't fire her."

"True." She admitted.

"How long are you supposed to stay there?"

"At least a week, according to Dr. Lam."

"At the end of that week, I'm taking you to the cabin, okay?"

"You have a deal, Jack." She said with a soft smile.

"Good." She could hear the smile in his voice. "Hey..."

"Hm?"

"Love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up the phone and walked back into Daniel's lab.

"So...are you being stuck on the base or just in Colorado Springs?"

"The base." Sam sighed. "Although, that might be a good thing given that I didn't have time to pack much more than my essentials. You know, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo..."

"I doubt it will be long before your stuff comes flying through the Gate..."

Sam sighed as she remembered the picture of Jack she had in her room. "That's what I'm afraid of."

-

She dragged herself into the VIP quarters that General Landry had set up for her use until she was officially reassigned. She was so tired. More tired than she'd been in a while.

She sighed. It was probably the emotional roller coaster she'd been on for the last several days. Jack had called every member he knew from the IOA, and all had said the same thing. She was unfit for the international command she'd been awarded only a year earlier. No more. No less.

Without changing her clothes, she slipped beneath the covers of the Queen-sized bed for a well-deserved night's sleep.

-

The sticky feeling on her face woke Sam before the alarm clock. She opened her eyes as she moved her arm from her face only to see the strange mucus string as it was pulled between her face and her arm.

She inhaled sharply as she snapped up in bed.

This...this was not normal.

-

"I'm sorry, Colonel," Dr. Lam said through her HAZMAT suit. "I don't know what it is."

Sam sighed as she continued to pace around the isolation cell. "There's got to be something that SOMEONE knows about it. Check with Atlantis..."

"We have." She assured. "And...we still don't know anything more than we know now. All we know is that Jennifer Keller had some of the same symptoms."

"And..."

Carolyn grimaced. "She's non-responsive while an alien entity grows from within her."

Sam swallowed in disgust. "What kind of entity?"

"Apparently, according to Dr. Beckett it's a lot like the organic material of the hive ship."

"Great. I'm gonna be a hive mom..." She said, sardonically. "Thought I'd get my initiation into parenthood the old fashioned way."

"Cabbage patch kids?" Lam asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Sam laughed softly. "Yeah...either that or the stork..."

"We're going to get you back to normal, Colonel." Carolyn assured.

"I sure hope so." Sam said with a nervous chuckle. "The last thing anyone needs on this base is a hive ship...even if it is me."

-

"Where is she, Danny?" Jack asked as he arrived at the archaeologist's office.

"Isolation." He said, having waited for the Major General's arrival.

Jack turned on his heel, and Daniel hurried to catch up to him. "Jack, Atlantis has already come through with a treatment..."

"Great. How's Sam?" Jack demanded.

"Uh...not so good..."

He reached the isolation observation room, and entered without a word before he saw his fiance lying unconscious on a bed in the center of the room as purple tentacles wrapped themselves around her.

His eyes widened in surprise.

"I tried to warn you," Daniel said with a small sigh as Lam entered the room, dressed in HAZMAT.

"And I thought getting taken over by an electrical entity was bad," he murmured.

"At least you didn't see what was happening to her brain," Daniel agreed.

Lam dodged one of the loose tentacles as she injected Sam with the cure that Beckett had sent from Atlantis.

Jack looked over at Daniel. "Has anyone else showed signs of the infection?"

He shook his head. "Even on Atlantis, it was only the people who went on a specific mission."

"Ah."

"Only Keller and Sam got this far before there was a cure."

"And Keller got worse..." Jack finished.

Daniel nodded. "She's on the road to recovery now."

"That means Sam's going to be okay?"

"Most likely."

He released the breath which had been trapped in his lungs. "That's good to hear."

"Let me guess...you're going to stay here until she can see visitors..."

Jack nodded. "Unless I can get into the room."

"Only necessary personnel in HAZMAT." Daniel said, shaking his head.

"I figured..."

"So...you two set a date yet?" Daniel asked after several silent moments passed.

Jack shook his head. "Wanted to wait until after Atlantis..."

"Well, she's back now."

"I know."

"And?"

"And..." Jack sighed. "I don't have an answer for you right now, Danny. We haven't gotten a chance to talk about it."

"Okay..."

Jack looked over at Daniel after a moment. "She wants to get married in the cabin."

"That's original. And perfect for you two."

Jack nodded slowly.

"You have doubts?"

"I can't help but think that she's trying to make me happy with this whole wedding thing." He sighed. "I've done the matrimony bit before. I'm up for whatever she wants."

"Maybe she wants to get married in the cabin for her own reasons. That have nothing to do with you except the fact that she loves you and you introduced her to it."

"It's possible, I suppose..."

"Didn't you say that your grandfather had built it for your grandmother?"

He nodded.

"Maybe she wants to get married there as kind of a...good luck charm..."

"Maybe." He murmured, thoughtfully.

They heard rapid breathing from the room below, and Jack turned a worried eye back to the isolation room.

Sam's eyes were wide open, and she was panicking slightly at her circumstances.

"Jack..." She cried, beginning to hyperventilate.

"Get the doc." Jack instructed, looking at Daniel.

Daniel nodded as Jack pulled the microphone into reach. "Carter...Sam, calm down..."

She looked up at him with trusting eyes as she tried to calm herself down.

"Good job. Just think about fishing at the cabin..." He murmured, softly.

Her breathing evened though she was far from comforted. "It's happening to me, isn't it?"

"You've already gotten the cure." He said, shaking his head. "This? This is just temporary."

Dr. Lam entered the room instantly. "Colonel Carter..."

Sam turned her head as much as she was able. "General O'Neill tells me I've received the antigen?"

"Yes." She said, nodding. "What we've been told by the Atlantis team is that these foreign appendages will begin to die and become inert. Once it's released its hold on you, we'll be able to remove them with surgery."

"Did...I...do any damage?" Sam asked, worriedly.

"No. You never got to that stage." She said with a gentle smile.

"Good," she breathed, softly.

Dr. Lam looked up. "General?"

"Yes?" He asked, leaning into the microphone.

"I think...if you get into a suit, you can come and visit..."

He was up and out of his chair almost instantly.

Carolyn placed a gloved hand on Sam's shoulder gently. "I have a feeling he'll be here just as soon as he can get suited up."

Sam chuckled softly. "You know him well, Carolyn."

It was only a few moments before the blast door opened, and Jack entered, wearing the red suit with which they'd all become familiar. Carolyn slipped out the door as he sat down beside Sam.

"Hey." He said, reaching out and touching her cheek gently.

"Hey, yourself." She murmured softly.

"Gave me quite a scare," he admitted.

"Next time I see you after a long absence, I'll make sure to leave the tentacles at home," she teased.

He laughed softly before sobering. "That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant." She said with a sober smile.

"Daniel asked if we'd set a date..."

"What did you tell him?"

"That we hadn't had a chance to talk. That we wanted to wait until after you got back from Atlantis."

"I'm back now." She said, softly. "And according to Dr. Lam, on the road to recovery."

"Always good to hear," he said with a tender smile.

"I'm going to be on leave for a little while," she said, thoughtfully. "We could get married then, if you want."

"I want you to have time to make the wedding your dream," he said, softly.

"I don't want anything extravagant, Jack." She said, soberly. "I want Mark and his family to be there, I want the team to be there...that's all I need."

"Hey..." Jack teased.

She smiled. "I'd be okay if it was just you and me, though. If that's how it had to go down."

"I want you to have the wedding you want." He said, soberly. "I've done that part before, and you haven't."

"At this point, I don't want much more than just to marry you." She admitted. "I don't need flowers, I don't need a fancy dress, I don't need a church."

"So you really want to do this at the cabin?"

"Of course. Our relationship started when I finally went fishing with you."

"True."

"And it's got its own romantic history..."

"Again, true."

"I think it would be a perfect place for our wedding. Don't you?"

"When the cabin is involved, I'm rarely going to complain," he laughed.

"That's what I thought," she smiled softly.

"As for timing..."

"As for timing, we should probably wait until after Ba'al's extraction ceremony."

He nodded. "Good idea."

"And after I've shed these extra pounds and appendages." She said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

He chuckled. "I think that's a given."

"You don't like the new look?" She teased.

"Oh, it's not that," he chortled. "But how am I supposed to put a ring on a finger that I can't reach?"

"So, it's purely a matter of convenience," she laughed.

He shook his head, a grin widening on his lips.

She smiled softly as she studied his jovial features. "I think I'm going to like being married to you," she whispered affectionately.

"Backatcha." He said as Lam returned to check on Sam's vitals.

He stood. "I'll be back, okay?"

Sam nodded with a small smile. "Eat some pie for me."

"Mmm..." He winked as he left.

Dr. Lam quickly finished her examination. "Well, Colonel, I hear that your belongings have been shipped through from Atlantis."

"That's good. Now, I get to find a place, make sure I have an assignment, and move." Sam quipped.

Carolyn smiled. "After surgery. The appendages are inert, and I have a feeling that you're eager to get rid of them."

She nodded. "Yes, but..."

"I'll make sure we wait to prep you for surgery until General O'Neill returns so that you can have a few more words before you go under." Carolyn said with a knowing smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Sam sighed softly as the doctor left. Once more, her mind wandered to her sudden reassignment from Atlantis. What grievous mistake had she made for the IOA feel that it was necessary to replace her with one of their own?

She may never know, she realized as she closed her eyes to get some much needed rest. But at least, she was home where she could finally marry the man of her dreams and settle into a comfortable routine with her oldest and dearest friends back on SG-1.


	23. Continuum

The shock of her icy surroundings froze her mind in its already shocked state. She looked around, almost absently, as she looked at the ice. It was like she'd just awoken ten years ago when she and Jack had been stranded in Antarctica.

Only this time, Jack was dead, she thought to herself numbly.

_"What have you done with my people?!" Jack demanded as he rushed at Ba'al._

_The Goa'uld had pulled himself free from his restraints and injected the symbiote poison into Jack's bloodstream, causing Jack to collapse to the ground._

_"SIR!" She cried, unable to believe her eyes._

_"Jack!" Daniel cried, joining Sam at Jack's side._

_"Go to the Gate," he managed, weakly._

_"Not without you." She assured, soberly._

_"Go..." He strained once again as his eyes glazed over in death._

_Sam stared at the body. Every one of her dreams had just died with him._

"Carter, what's going on?" Mitchell asked. She only marginally heard what he asked. She inhaled deeply as she tried to keep her emotion under control.

"Sam?" Mitchell asked again.

"I don't know," she managed. She didn't know anything. Not even what he was talking about or asking her.

They'd beaten death together too many times for this to be the end, she thought to herself.

Suddenly, she felt Cam's hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know what happened back there, but we need you in the here and now. Wherever or whenever that is."

She looked lost as she nodded. "Right." She tried to clear her mind. "Right."

-

They'd been walking for hours, and she felt her eyelids closing of their own volition as she stumbled over the snow. "They used to call me the Black Widow of the SGC," she said in an effort to keep herself awake.

"I never knew you'd been married..."

"Never." She said, shaking her head. "But that's probably because almost all of my boyfriends die."

Mitchell looked at her strangely, but she continued. "There was Jonas...we were going to get married straight out of the Academy. But he...he wanted too much control. He got a God complex, and tried to kill me by sending us both to Earth without inputting the Iris code. Jack saved me as he threw Jonas to the death he'd been preparing for."

"Then?"

"Then there was...Narim. Tollan. Kind of...obsessed with me. He didn't die until the fifth year of the Program when the Goa'uld tried to blackmail his people into destroying us with their technology." She paused for a moment. "Truth be told, we don't really know if he's dead or not. Just kind of...assume...since we've never heard from him..."

"What about that Martouf guy?"

"Met him in the second year of the Program..." She murmured. "I had been host to his mate, Jolinar." She shook her head. "That was confusing. Especially since he and his symbiote, Lantesh, had feelings for me - not just as the remnant of Jolinar..."

"What happened?" Mitchell prodded.

"There was...a...treaty..." She began. "We thought that the Goa'uld might be trying to sabotage it, and so the Tok'ra brought in a device which could detect inconsistencies between one's conscious and subconscious minds." She inhaled. "They thought that Jack and I were these...brainwashed terrorists...all because we...omitted our feelings for one another when we took the test. In the end, though...Martouf was the za'tarc." She stopped moving for a moment. "He begged me to kill him, and...I did."

"Tough."

She bit her lip as she nodded. "Lantesh lived a little longer...until the Tok'ra were under attack. In an effort to save himself and one of our airmen, he blended with him. They both ended up dying saved my life."

"Who was next?"

"Uh, Orlin..." She said, coming to the one name that Mitchell would recognize from first-hand experience.

"The Ancient who came and helped us with the cure to the Prior's plague..."

She nodded. "He was also...a little...creepy...but a good man."

"Then who?"

"Well, there was...Fifth, but he wasn't exactly human..."

"Replicator?"

She nodded. "Who was killed when the Replicator version of myself double-crossed him and us..."

"Sounds like another day at the office."

She tensed before she continued. "Pete was shot when he...uh, followed me onto a mission."

Mitchell raised his eyebrow.

"He didn't actually die, but he spent some time in the SGC infirmary."

"Why was he following you?"

"He wanted to know what I did for a living...and I wouldn't tell him."

"Good thing you got rid of him."

"Yeah." She said, swallowing. "Anyway...now there's..." She paused, emotionally. "Jack. But you know the story on that one..."

"Yeah," Mitchell sighed.

They continued trudging through the snow silently.

-

"I guess that was worth seeing." Mitchell sighed.

"What?" Daniel asked, incredulously. "That's all you have to say?"

"Well, you guys made it out like it was this big deal. I expected something more spectacular."

"Nope." Jack said, shaking his head. "That's pretty much the extraction ceremony, right there. Yup. So, lunch, anyone?"

Sam looked at her fiance, silently, as no one answered his invitation.

"I'm buying." Jack added.

"I'm in." Cam chimed in.

Sam managed an amused half-smile as she and Jack walked back toward the Gate. "Actually, sir, I was hoping that we could go over the plans for the new moon base."

There was silence for a moment before Jack looked at her curiously. "What moon base?"

"The Moon Base..." She said, discreetly rubbing the ring finger of her left hand.

"Oh. That moon base..." He said, suddenly understanding. "Well, maybe we can have a...breakfast meeting tomorrow morning on that topic..."

She grinned appreciatively. "Where?"

"There's a little place...nice, cozy, homey place...in Colorado Springs..."

"Oh?" She asked with an amused smile and sparkling eyes.

"Yep. Kind of a...bed and breakfast deal with a nice big King-sized bed, fireplace, and movies. Perfect for cuddling on the couch. I stay there any chance I can."

She giggled as he described her new apartment rather nicely. "Then I take it you have a reservation?"

"I have to check with my travel agent..." He said, shaking his head. "But I'm their favorite guest. They can usually squeeze me in."

"Well, you're very charming and lovable." She teased. "How could they turn you away?"

"Exactly." He grinned as they reached the Gate.

"Any...bed and breakfast..." She teased. "Would be lucky to have you as a guest."

"Yes...well..." He said with mock modesty.

"And...I think I would know..." She said as Daniel dialed the Gate.

He tried to hide a chuckle. "Would you now?"

She nodded. "The times you've stayed at my place, you've been a very hospitable guest."'

Daniel shook his head. "I think I'm going to gag."

"I think I'll beat you to it." Cam laughed as the wormhole engaged.

Both Sam and Jack grinned at the goodnatured ribbing.

"Shall we?" Cam asked, motioning to the Gate. "General? Colonel?"

"It's just Sam." Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Ah, but suddenly we go from Lt. Colonel peers to ever so slightly uneven ranks."

She shook her head with a small laugh. "It's not that big a difference..."

"Whatever you say, Sam." He chuckled. "You gonna go or not?"

"First one on the other side gets to choose the restaurant." She winked as she walked up the steps.

"Oh great..." Jack murmured as she slipped into the wormhole. "Now, it'll be something like...sushi..."

"Those two..." Cam laughed as Jack followed and disappeared through the Gate. "How did you survive on a team with them for seven years?"

"Well, they weren't always like that." Daniel chuckled. "Sometimes...they were worse. But mostly, they just...pretended they didn't know what the awkwardness had come from..."

"Awkwardness?"

"Yeah, you know the stuff that comes when you're obviously attracted to someone, but you don't know how to admit it..."

"Oh. UST."

Daniel nodded with a slight grimace. "Uh...yeah..."

"So, it's no worse than going to work with you and Vala..." He said, stepping through the Gate.

Daniel's eyes widened as he followed. "Hey, w-we're not...I mean, we d-don't..."


	24. Hammond

It was raining when the plane landed at Reagan National Airport. It was poetic, Sam thought to herself as she looked out the window almost numb with shock.

She barely noticed as the tires hit the pavement of the runway. In fact, it wasn't until she started to see and hear the other passengers stirring before she finally stood and retrieved her carry-on.

The mob herded her to the front of the plane and through the Gate where she saw Jack standing with a solemn look on his face, clad in his class A dress uniform. He'd probably come straight from work to pick her up, knowing that she wouldn't want to be alone on the trip to his town home.

She walked slowly toward him, clutching the plastic handle of her carry-on as the small suitcase rolled behind her.

"Where is everyone?" She asked, managing to sound matter-of-fact despite the chaos she felt inside.

"Coming." Jack assured, soberly. "Daniel and...Murray are coming on an Air Force transport. We'll meet them at the Air Field in an hour."

"You didn't say much on the phone." She said, trying to keep the tears stinging her eyes from sounding in her voice. "What happened?"

"Heart attack."

She didn't ask for a hug, and he didn't offer one, because they each knew that if they were to embrace, their emotions would come pouring out and in such a public setting they both wanted to be stay brave.

"I..." Sam began. "I can't believe..."

"Neither can I." He finished.

"How are Tessa and Kayla?"

"They'll be okay." He said, soberly. He sighed as he looked over at her. "They're staying with me. Hammond..." He broke for a moment, and Sam felt the pain of their loss wash over her again. "Uh...h-he...wouldn't want them to be alone right now."

She nodded, numbly.

"I got Daniel and Teal'c a hotel room. I can get one for you if you..."

She shook her head. "No. Your place is fine with me."

"Good." He finally breathed after a moment. "Because as much as I hate to admit it..."

"You need me." She finished.

He nodded, slowly.

She managed a faint half-smile as he took the handle of her suitcase. "Come on. Let's go."

He led her somewhat reluctantly to the SUV he'd parked in the short-term parking lot, and stuck her small carry-on in the hatch before they each opened the doors to their sides of the car, and slipped into their seats.

"On to the air field..." Jack murmured as he started the car.

She nodded, soberly.

The car was silent as they began the drive to the air field. Sam just watched the scenery pass by her window with moist eyes as she remembered the General who had watched her as carefully as her father would have.

"D-do you remember..." Sam began slowly.

"When we went back in time?" Jack asked, finishing her question.

She nodded slowly. He'd always been able to read her mind as strange as it sounded. He always knew what she was thinking about or how best to comfort or help her.

"I half-expected him to reprimand me for zatting him..."

Sam managed a sad half-smile. "He knew you did it for a reason," she murmured. "He always knew you did things for a reason."

"Backed me up if I was right, and chewed me out if I was wrong." Jack agreed.

They lasped into the stunned silence to which they'd become somewhat accustomed before he cleared his throat. "Even after the za'tarc thing...when you were taken over by that probe..."

She turned to look at him with earnest eyes.

"He said that he knew that you meant a lot to me."

"I was a very valuable member of your team..." She murmured, remembering how they'd tried to hide their feelings from even themselves in those days.

"That's how I tried to play it, and he..." Jack swallowed. "He pretended not to know any different."

"He was a good man." She whispered softly.

"One of the best," Jack agreed.

-

"George Hammond," Jack managed as they stood at the gravesite. "Was one of the...greatest men it has been my privilege to know."

Sam looked down at the flag-draped casket as tears blurred her vision. She heard the soft sobs of the General's granddaughters beside her.

Daniel wrapped a comforting arm around Tessa's shoulders, and Sam gently patted Kayla's back.

"He was patient, kind, and understanding." Jack continued. "He won the loyalty and admiration of his command because of his own loyalty to them and his admiration of their sacrifice. He believed that you could never ask someone to do something you were not willing to do yourself. And he won the respect of even the most hardened of his troops."

Jack's own eyes were moist, Sam noticed as she looked over at him.

"General Hammond has done more for this country...than anyone will ever really know. And today, we thank God for the privilege to have known him."

Jack stepped back as the pastor began reciting Psalm 23. Sam reached for his hand and squeezed it gently as she gave him a tearful smile.

He didn't look back at her. Only forward as the recitation ended and the 21-gun salute ceremony began. A few moments later, the flag was offered to Tessa as the oldest surviving member of the General's family.

She closed her eyes as she hugged it to her chest and cried softly.

With the ceremony more or less over, Kayla's tears began falling more swiftly, and Sam turned to envelope the young woman in a comforting embrace.

"I miss him," Kayla whispered, clinging to the older woman.

"I know," Sam choked, struggling to keep her own tears at bay.

-

"The girls are settled in." Sam said, walking into the master bedroom to find Jack lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Good," he murmured, looking over at her.

"You okay?" She asked, softly, as she joined him on the bed.

He sighed. "Will be."

She nodded in understanding.

"What about you?" He asked, studying her.

"Same."

Jack scooted over and rested his head in her lap, drawing comfort from her as she absently stroked his short gray hair.

"Life...life's too short to keep this up, Jack." She whispered.

He looked up at her, curiously.

"When I think about how many times we've cheated death..." She managed as memories of how many times she'd nearly lost him washed over her. She swallowed down her tears. "I can't do this anymore. I can't...I can't keep leaving you and putting our life - our happiness - on hold."

He sat up before he reached over and gently wiped away her errant tears with his calloused thumb. "You have my support. Whatever you decide." He murmured.

She closed her eyes as the tears came more quickly. She tried to smile bravely, but her pain was more than evident in her eyes as her facade crumbled.

"C'mere." He whispered as he pulled her into his arms so that she could release her emotion in the strength and safety of his embrace.

She clung to him as she cried.

-

_In memory of Don S. Davis (1942-2008)_


	25. Insecurity

_Several weeks later:_

Sam walked into Landry's office, gently knocking on the door.

"Colonel!"

"You asked me to report, sir." She said, soberly.

"Yes, I did." Landry said, nodding. "Close the door, please."

She nodded as she did so, and turned back.

"Have a seat, Colonel."

She sat in front of the desk as he situated himself behind it. "How have you enjoyed your return to SG-1?"

She managed a small smile. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted." He said, nodding.

"It's...comfortable."

"You're bored." He said, perceptively.

"It's not that, sir..."

"Of course it is, Colonel." He smiled. "No one expects to command an expedition and then be returned to the assignment they held before that not more than a year later."

She sighed, softly, as she looked at her hands for a moment. "No, sir. I suppose not."

"Well then, you'll be happy to hear that you're being reassigned."

Her head snapped up. "Reassigned, sir?"

He nodded. "There's a new Daedelus class ship which needs a commander, and you've been selected."

She inhaled sharply. "Me, sir?"

He nodded. "I think we all agree that the commander should be able to repair the very thing they're commanding..."

She was speechless. "I...I see.." She finally stammered.

"You're not happy about the development?"

"It's not that, sir..."

"There's another assignment you'd prefer?"

She exhaled softly. "No, sir."

"Good. Then, you report to Peterson for transport in six weeks. Until then, you have leave."

"Sir, I have some.."

"Experiments you'd like to finish."

She swallowed. "Uh...yes, sir."

"I assumed as such. You'll have a few days to do what you can before you must send the files to Dr. Lee."

She nodded, soberly.

He stood, and extended his hand to her. "Congratulations, Colonel."

She managed a faint smile. "Thank you, sir."

-

Sam walked down the corridor with a small sigh, passing Daniel on her way to the commissary.

"Hey, Sam." He greeted, absently.

"Hi, Daniel." She said, managing a sober smile.

He looked up, sensing that there was something on her mind. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head. She pointed her thumb over one shoulder. "I'm headed to the commissary for some cake. You wanna come with?"

"I've got to turn in this report on the ruins SG-22 found on their latest mission."

"Ah." She said, nodding.

"Are you sure there's nothing on your mind?" He asked, studying her.

"Apparently, there's another Daedelus class ship in need of a commander. It's new, and they want me to command it."

"That's great."

She bit her lip. "Yeah..."

"You don't want to go."

"I've been considering early retirement, actually." She said, exhaling softly.

"Retirement, huh?"

She nodded. "Life's too short to keep putting everything off."

"I see."

"But...I doubt they're going to accept my application now. I should just put in my year or two, and come home."

"And retirement?"

"I'll give them my papers the minute I get off the ship for the last time."

"Have you told Jack yet?"

She shook her head slowly. "Why do you think I want cake?"

"He's not going to stop you, is he?"

"He's too good to me for that." She said, shaking her head. "But it'll kill me to have to tell him..."

"He probably already knows."

She swallowed. "I know."

"Why do you think he encourages you to take these assignments?" Daniel mused.

"Because he knows how dedicated I am to my career." She explained, somewhat surprised by the question. "Why? Do you think he's avoiding something?"

"Well, when you're worlds apart and still...just engaged..., he doesn't have to worry about..."

"Another family." She murmured as she realized what he was getting at.

"It's probably crazy to even think..."

Sam bit her lip, suddenly more than a little insecure about her relationship. "Go turn in your report, Daniel...I think I'm gonna get some cake."

"I'm sorry, Sam. Sometimes I think out loud, and..."

She shook her head. "No, Daniel. Don't apologize. It's something I hadn't thought of before...and probably something I should have considered...given his past..." She sighed as she tried to smile wryly. "Suddenly, I'm not in the mood for cake..."

"Sam..."

"I'll be fine." She assured. "I just...Jack and I need to talk about this...figure something out."

She managed a weak smile before she walked toward her lab. She had some work to finish before she traveled to DC to spend the rest of her leave.

-

She sat on the couch, thoughtfully as she waited for him to return home from work. The beer in her hands had gone flat hours ago. She hadn't taken a sip in at least that long.

She was silent as she heard the front door open as Jack entered. She'd taken a cab. He wouldn't know she was here until he walked into the living room.

He made his way up the stairs, looking at them until he finally reached the top when he sensed her presence. "Sam. What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk." She said, swallowing as she looked over at him.

"Okay..." He said, confused.

"Not now. I mean...you can change your clothes, grab a beer...whatever."

"You need to talk." He said, soberly. "I can do that in these clothes, and if I want a beer, I can drink yours."

She sighed as she put the bottle on the coffee table. "It's flat."

"What's going on, Sam?" He asked, concerned.

She inhaled as she met his gaze squarely. "I need you to tell me if you have any doubts. Any fears about marrying me."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How can you ask that?"

"Because I've been bringing up the subject for the last six months that I've been back, and you've been putting it off." She sighed. "I can't wait much longer..."

"Sam, you're scaring me." He said, looking at her concerned. "What's so urgent?"

"What's so urgent about marrying me?" She asked, tearing up. "Well, if you don't know..."

"Don't do that, Sam. I'm not playing that game."

She turned a hurt expression to him as she inhaled. "We've been engaged for two years. I'm not saying this is all your fault...I mean, I left for Atlantis...but I'm back now, and..." She closed her eyes as she steeled herself. "I have been for six months. But it seems that we're in a holding pattern."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. "There's never going to be a "convenient" time. There's never going to be a time when we don't have eyebrows raised when they look at us. I realize that now, and I'm okay with it." She sighed. "But I need to know if you are."

He swallowed as she removed her finger. "Of course, I am." He promised. "What's wrong?"

Her lip trembled. "I've been...reassigned..."

"To the George Hammond. I heard." He said, nodding.

"You knew?" She asked, hurt.

"I usually know these things..."

She bit her lip as she nodded slowly.

"What's wrong? You don't want to go? It's...it's a great opportunity..."

She closed her eyes in agony. "Of course it is, Jack." She whispered. "And there will always be a great opportunity around the corner."

He was silent as she opened her eyes and looked at him. "But where does it end? When is it enough for you?"

"For me?" He asked, taken aback.

She struggled to recover her composure before she looked at him again. "Are you afraid that I want kids? Are you afraid that I might change my mind a few years down the road? Are you afraid that we might not have kids? Are you afraid that something's going to happen to me? Are you afraid I'll resent you if I give up my career to be with you? Talk to me, Jack. I need more than this..."

His lips parted in surprise at the depth of her emotion.

"I'm a grown woman, Jack. I can handle whatever you give me." She assured. "It won't be easy, but I'll manage somehow..."

He looked away as he inhaled and exhaled slowly.

She clenched her jaw as she tried to stem off another storm of emotion. She finally breathed in with an embarrassment and nervousness playing on her features. "And...you're not ready to have this conversation..." She said, standing.

"You're right." He finally murmured.

She stopped in her tracks, turning to face him slowly. "About what?"

"I don't want you to resent giving anything up for me. I'm old and tired. You're young with so much potential."

"Not so young anymore." She said, sitting back down.

"Younger, though."

"Yes." She admitted. "Is that a problem?"

"Never." He said, shaking his head.

"But..."

"But you know as well as I do that the Homeworld Security position is one step away from retirement. The George Hammond appointment is just the beginning..."

"Not necessarily." She said, softly.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Jack, my priorities are changing. Blame our relationship, my age, General Hammond's death, the IOA's backhanded dismissal of my command...whatever you want, but I don't want to find myself old and gray...and all alone."

He sighed softly. "So...you want to give up the appointment?"

"I don't think we have a choice at this point," she admitted. "But...I think there's something we can do to influence future positions..."

"Actually get married?"

She nodded.

"And that's what you want." He said, studying her closely as he thought about the possibility.

She nodded. "Honestly, if I had my way...we'd get married in the next six weeks, we'd spend the next few months apart while the Pentagon processes my retirement or resignation - whichever they actually accept - and then...I come home..."

"And we live our life together..."

She nodded. "Yeah." She smiled wryly. "And I learn a few hobbies."

He chuckled softly before sobering.

She noticed his change, and she inhaled nervously.

"Let's do it. At the cabin...next week too early?"

"I-I would ha-have to check with Mark..." She admitted.

"Call him, and see what works for him. I have a priest friend who'd be willing to come and perform the ceremony."

"What about SG-1?"

"We'll call them too."

She swallowed as she looked at her hands and then up at him. "You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Sam." He said, honestly. "I love you, and if it takes a ceremony in the next week to seal that in your head, then that's what we'll do."

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she touched her hands to his cheeks and kissed him gently. "I love you, Jack O'Neill." She whispered, looking him in the eyes.

"I love you too, Samantha Carter."


	26. Wedding

"I hear there's a bride in here." Mark chuckled as he knocked on the door.

Sam turned from where Cassie and Vala were talking about her hair and makeup. She grinned as she stood and walked over to him. "Mark!"

He hugged her tightly. "Hi, sis."

"I'm so glad you could come," she admitted as she pulled away.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." He said, soberly.

She managed a grateful smile as he let go of her. "Besides, I had a package to deliver."

"What kind of package?"

He opened the door to reveal his wife, carrying a carefully wrapped gown in her hands, and Sam's jaw dropped. She looked over at Mark in surprise. "Mom's wedding dress. H-how did you get it?"

"Dad left it with us just before he died." He admitted. "Thought you'd want to use it someday, but wasn't sure you'd have space or brain for it with your job."

Sam managed a watery smile as she opened the garment bag and pulled out the satin and lace gown. "I'm not sure it will fit..."

"Hey...try it. You never know." Her sister-in-law, Cindy, encouraged.

Sam inhaled before she nodded. "Okay."

"I'll see how Jack's going," Mark said, stepping out of the room as the women prepared to dress Sam in the heirloom.

Sam waved softly as she inhaled nervously. She really hoped it would fit...

-

Jack stood, nervously rubbing his hands, in the cleared living room as Daniel stood beside him in his tuxedo.

"Relax, Jack. I doubt she's going to change her mind this late in the game..."

Jack inhaled and looked at Daniel. "You're right. She'll be here."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed from Daniel's other side.

Footsteps could be heard on the wooden floor, and Jack turned to see Cindy slipping into one of the metal folding chairs with a small smile.

"She was helping Sam..." Jack murmured.

"So, she'll probably be out soon," Daniel chuckled.

He inhaled. "Hope so..."

Daniel smiled in amusement as Sam's niece, twenty-one-year-old Katie, started the music on the small iPod.

Pachelbel's Canon in D softly floated over the surround sound speakers, which Jack and Sam had put in only a few days before, and Jack turned to watch for his bride.

Cassie, dressed in a simple, yet elegant, sapphire-colored dress, stepped graciously down the aisle. She offered Jack a supportive smile as she took her place on the opposite side, revealing Vala.

Daniel's jaw dropped as he looked at the gown that Vala had donned for the occasion. Also in a sapphire hue, her gown hugged her curves in an elegant manner that was far more tasteful than he was used to. Like Cassie before her, she held a small white rose bouquet in her hands. She offered Daniel a small, serene smile as she took her place.

Sam stood beside Mark at the back of the room, dressed in her mother's wedding gown. The lace bodice which came to an end underneath her bustline in an empire waist and met a satin skirt which fell simply to the floor and gathered in a simple small train in the back. A thin veil and flower comb in her simple updo rounded out the look.

Jack could hardly breathe as he watched her brother escorted her down the aisle. She gave him a gentle smile as she joined him at the front of the room.

"You look..." He murmured, almost speechless, as he let his eyes scan her again.

She blushed lightly. "Thank you. So do you."

Katie stopped the music as the priest, Father Donovan, cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today..."

Sam inhaled as she looked over at the man to whom she was pledging her life. She'd tried many times to make this commitment, and she'd failed almost that many times. The fact that she was standing here. Beside him. That had to mean that she'd finally made the right choice.

Her eyes moistened as she gave him a gentle smile as he squeezed her hand and looked over at her.

Love you, she mouthed.

Me too, he mouthed as he "raised" her a grin.

"Face each other and join hands, please," Father Donovan said, looking at Jack and Sam.

They nodded as they did as they'd been told.

"Jack, repeat after me. I, Jack O'Neill..."

"I, Jack O'Neill..."

"Take thee, Samantha Carter..."

"Take thee, Samantha Carter..."

"To be my lawfully wedded wife..."

He looked up into her eyes, and she could see the sincerity in them. "To be my lawfully wedded wife..."

This moment had been worth the decade or so that they'd spent waiting for it.

"Now, Samantha, repeat after me." Father Donovan said, looking over at her. "I, Samantha Carter..."

She inhaled, looking at Jack with a sober eye. "I, Samantha Carter..."

"Take thee, Jack O'Neill..."

"Take thee, Jack O'Neill..."

"To be my lawfully wedded husband."

She choked on her emotion for a moment before she managed to continue. "To be my lawfully wedded husband."

"For better, for worse..."

Flashes of their work together found themselves to the surface of her mind. How many times he'd saved her life. The time that she'd watched his face after he'd told Hammond to close the iris on the humans who had instigated genocide on their world.

"For better, for worse..."

"For richer, for poorer..."

"For richer, for poorer..."

"In sickness and in health..."

She swallowed as she remembered praying that he'd wake up after some illness or injury. And every time that she'd awoken from one of her own to find him sitting beside her bed. "In sickness and in health."

"For as long as we both shall live."

"For as long as we both shall live." She whispered as the tears she'd long anticipated moistened her eyes.

"The rings..." Father Donovan prompted.

Daniel and Vala both stepped forward, offering the rings to the bride and groom who turned back to one another.

"Jack, place the ring on Samantha's finger and repeat after me: With this ring, I, thee, wed."

Jack took her hand in his. His hands were always so soft and gentle despite the outward signs of their callousness. Just like him. "With this ring," he murmured as he slipped the wedding band onto her left ring finger. "I, thee, wed."

Sam swallowed as she did the same. "With this ring," she whispered, carefully. "I, thee, wed."

"By the power vested in me by the state of Minnesota," Father Donovan said with a grin. "I, now, pronounce you husband and wife." He looked down at his old friend. "You may now kiss the bride."

Jack grinned as he turned back to look at Sam, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her as tenderly as he knew how.

The small group erupted into applause as Sam and Jack pulled away from one another with wide grins which they turned to the ensembled friends and family.

"May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Jack O'Neill to those assembled," Father Donovan finished with a satisfied smile.

"Well, General," Sam murmured as she looked back at him with a glistening smile. "We did it."

"Yes, Colonel," he said, looking back at her with a teasing chuckle. "I think we did."

Her eyes were dancing with joy and amusement, and he couldn't help it. He leaned in again for another kiss which she returned, affectionately.

Daniel led another cheer with a grin on his face.

They pulled away from one another, and Sam knew she was blushing from how warm her face had gotten. That won a grin from her new husband.

"Pictures!" Vala cried, reaching for the digital camera that she'd brought with her.

"Whaddaya say, Mrs. O'Neill?" Jack asked, looking at his new bride. "Pictures?"

She grinned. "I say...bring 'em on..."

He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and bent to kiss the crook of her neck.

"Jack!" She cried, blushing at the intimacy of the gesture in front of the room full of people as she tried, goodnaturedly, to pull away.

A flash went off, and Sam looked over in surprise at Vala, who shrugged. "It was just so...adorable."

Daniel looked over her shoulder at the image on the digital screen and nodded before looking up at the happy couple. "Yeah...that's a keeper..."

Sam looked over her own shoulder at her husband. "Well...I guess it's a keeper..."

"Like you," he murmured as he kissed her nose.

"And you," she whispered as she turned to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him again.

Another flash from the camera interrupted them, and Sam pulled away, blushing even more furiously, causing Jack to chortle at her expense.

"You're so cute when you get embarrassed." He grinned.

"Watch it, Mister..." She groused, playfully.

"Is that an order?" He winked.

She giggled. "Yep."

"Well in that case..." He chuckled. "Yes...ma'am."

-

Sam walked out of the master bedroom, having hung the fragile wedding gown back in its protective garment bag, dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Her hair was now pulled back into a ponytail, and she looked over at her husband, who had just closed the door to the cabin after Daniel, Vala, Cam and Teal'c, presumably.

"SG-1?" She asked, from where she stood.

He nodded, affirmatively, still dressed in his tuxedo, though his tie was undone and the top button of his shirt was unbuttoned. His suit jacket was also off - probably on the back of one of the chairs. "We're alone now...just you and me."

"There are worse things," she smiled. "But for now, I thought I'd start on cleaning the place up a bit..."

"Sa-am!" He whined in protest. "The wine glasses, the streamers, the rice...that can all wait 'til tomorrow."

She chuckled softly. "Just...an hour. And then, even if I'm in the middle of washing a dish, I'll leave it, and we can do it tomorrow."

"This is an actual hour, right?" He asked, studying her closely. "Not the night-long "hour" you ask for when you're working on some alien device..."

She grinned in appreciation as she reached for the egg timer and selected sixty minutes. "Sixty minutes. Starting now."

He sighed, theatrically. "All right..."

"It might not take as long if you help me," she said, looking over at him with an amused smile as she set the timer on the counter and began her work.

He walked over, retrieving a dish towel on his way. "Sounds like a plan."

The minutes passed quickly, though they didn't say much.

"This..." Sam finally murmured as she looked over at him after finishing the last glass. "This was perfect."

He turned a teasing eye to her. "I've always thought my glass drying was rather perfect, but...I'll humbly accept your praise."

She beamed, appreciatively, before she gently touched his arm. "No...the wedding..."

"I know." He said, more soberly.

"I was just relieved that my mother's dress fit," she said, breaking the mood for a moment.

"It looked lovely." Jack said, soberly. "I couldn't breathe when I saw you walking toward me."

"Really?" She asked, softly.

He nodded.

The timer rang, but Sam didn't react. "I think...it's time for bed..."

"I like that idea. It's been a long day, and...all of that..."

She chuckled softly, and he took the opportunity to loosen her hair from the elastic that bound it in the ponytail. With love and adoration in his eyes as he studied her features, now framed in her shoulder-length blond hair, he smiled. "There's my wife."

She looked at him, somewhat perplexed, as he revealed the elastic. "Colonel Carter has to wear her hair up because of regulations and all that, but my wife...my wife can let her hair down whenever she's with me."

Sam swallowed as she realized the hidden meaning behind his words.

He gently tugged at her hand, pulling her down the hallway. They paused, and Sam waited to see what he had planned. Jack grinned as he easily swept her off of her feet and into his arms. "It's not exactly a threshold, but it'll work..."

She laughed softly as he stepped into their bedroom. After kicking the door shut with his foot, he gently laid her on the bed. She looked up at him with soft eyes as he leaned over her, and he ran his fingers through her hair, now strewn against the comforter. "You're mine, Samantha Carter," he murmured, proudly.

"All yours," she affirmed as he leaned in to kiss her.

-

_Happy New Year folks!_


	27. Departure

"Jack, are you sure you're not going to mind having all of my mail forwarded here while I'm gone?" She asked, hurriedly packing her bag.

"Wait...you're having ALL of your mail forwarded here?" He asked in mock surprise.

Sam turned a pointed look to her husband of the last month. "Jack..."

"Sam, you're my wife. If I objected to receiving mail at the same address as you, then I think we'd have some pretty big problems..." He said, walking into the master bathroom for a moment.

"Right..." She said, inhaling somewhat nervously as she looked around the bedroom. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?"

"Because you are." He said, returning with her toothbrush.

"How did I...?" She asked, confused. She shook her head before she took it from him. "Thank you."

She rummaged through her well-packed duffel bag to find her cosmetic bag.

"And you're sure that having the boxes from my place here won't be a problem?"

"Sa-am!"

She looked up at him with a small smile of light chagrin. "Right. Married. Stuff - not a problem."

"You're not leaving for three days, Sam." He said as she returned to her work. "What's got you so panicked about getting everything packed right now?"

"I would rather spend my last three days here focusing on you and me. Not packing all of my stuff." She said through gritted teeth as she struggled to get the cosmetic bag back in the duffel.

He shook his head, affectionately, as she finally pulled away. "Done." She said with a satisfied smile.

"Good." He said, pulling her away from the bedroom. "Because I have a present for you."

Her brow furrowed. "What?"

They walked into the living room, and she gasped as she saw the beautiful cello standing upright on a cello stand in the corner of the living room.

"Jack..." She breathed.

"I know you've always wanted to play, and while this probably isn't the most opportune time to get it for you, I figured you'd at least be able to play it when you're here on leave, and I'm at work."

"I love it," she murmured, looking over at him, affectionately. "But you really didn't have to do this."

"Oh, I just bought the cello." He laughed. "YOU get to pay for the lessons."

She laughed as she hugged him tightly. "Touche."

He held her for a few moments. "I'm gonna miss you."

She pulled away with shining eyes. "No...no, we're not going to start that yet or I'll be a wreck until I leave."

"Fair enough," he said, affectionately running his fingers through her soft blonde hair.

"I don't leave for a few days after I get to Area 51." She said, looking down at her strong arms as she gently stroked them. "I thought maybe I'd take a few hours and take Cassie to lunch..."

"Sounds like a good idea." He said with a small smile.

"You sure you can't come with?" She asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have a meeting with a scientist..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah. A...Dr. Nicholas Rush..."

"I've heard of him. Daniel's been working with him on some...Ancient code?"

He nodded. "That's the one."

"What does he want?"

"He wants to be the next Catherine Langford and Elizabeth Weir..."

Her brow furrowed. "Hm?"

"He wants us to start this...new aspect of the program. Something about 9 chevrons on the Gate getting us somewhere cool..."

She smiled softly. "You're going to say yes."

"Most likely," he said with a chuckle. "You've made me a soft touch for the scientists..."

She grinned.

"So...what have you always wanted to do, but never dared to, while you were in Washington, DC?" He asked, clapping his hands together, excitedly.

"Um...nothing." She chuckled.

"Aw, come on! There's got to be some dark fantasy hidden inside your pretty little head."

"No, there's really not." She laughed.

"So, we're just going to be a couple of boring married folks, sitting at home, drinking beer, and watching the game?"

"I've never thought there was anything wrong with that." She teased. "As long as we get Chinese."

"I'm down with that." He grinned.

"So easily pleased." She winked as she walked into the kitchen for the takeout menu.

"Never claimed to be anything but a simple man," Jack laughed as he followed her. "But you're a genius, and you chose to marry me...what does that say about you?"

"That I like normalcy." She said, seriously.

"Says the woman who fights aliens in a top-secret facility for a living."

She chuckled appreciatively. "Okay...maybe I'm a bit of a...dichotomy."

"Ya think?"

She chuckled as she leaned in to kiss him.

"What was that for?" He asked, surprised.

"Because I love you." She smiled. "And to keep you quiet for a moment while I order the food."

"Yes, ma'am." He said with a snappy salute.

She shook her head in amusement as she picked up the phone. "Beef and Broccoli with Chow Mein?"

"Oh yeah, but remind them...heavy on the beef, and light on the broccoli."

She shook her head, affectionately.

"And egg rolls. Get lots of egg rolls."

"That was a given," she laughed.

-

She was rocking back and forth, and it caught her by surprise. Her eyes opened slowly. "Jack?"

"You fell asleep during the game," he said with a small smile as he carried her down the hallway. "Thought you'd be better off in bed instead of on the couch."'

She smiled softly as he reached the bedroom. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, you spent all day unpacking boxes and packing your gear," he said, setting her on her side of the bed. "It was a matter of time before you conked out."

"You've got the day off tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yep. You got something you wanna do tomorrow?"

She looked over and nodded slowly. "I think...I think I want to visit my dad."

"Sounds like a plan. You want me to come with?"

"I'd like that." She admitted.

"Anything else you want to do?"

She shook her head. "We can play it by ear."

He lay down on the bed beside her, and she curled up next to him, resting her cheek on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.

They stayed like that for a few moments, eyes open as they considered what the future would bring. "Jack?"

"Hm?"

"What you said earlier...about how you'll miss me?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna miss you too."

"I know."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I put in my papers for retirement when we were in Colorado last week. If all goes according to plan, I'll be back in seven or eight months on terminal leave."

"Be nice to have you here on a permanent basis." He admitted as he let his fingers feather through her hair.

They were silent for a few moments before he inhaled. "Maybe...maybe after that, we can talk about...you know...having a family."

He'd read her mind, she thought as she looked up at him, nodding. "Sounds like a plan."

-

They walked solemnly down the path through Arlington National Cemetery. Sam swallowed as she saw the rows upon rows of headstones which symbolized the countless numbers of fallen men and women who had given their lives in the service of their country. She felt Jack's hand slip into her own, and she turned to offer him a faint smile in silent gratitude of his support.

He offered her a small smile of his own and gently squeezed her hand.

They arrived a few moments later at her father's headstone, and she swallowed. "Hi, Dad...it's been a few months, I know, but...a lot has happened."  
She turned an affectionate smile to her husband as she inhaled and looked back at the headstone. "Uh...I finally did it. Finally...took the plunge, I guess."

He chuckled softly.

She inhaled. "You probably already know this, but General Hammond died a few months back. In his memory, we named the new ship after him." She swallowed. "I...I leave in two days."

"She's going to do a great job, Jake." Jack added. "She'll make you proud. I mean...not that she hasn't already made you proud, but.."

"I think he gets the picture," Sam said, managing a grateful smile.

He shrugged, goodnaturedly, as she looked back at the headstone, soberly.

"I, uh...Jack and I, we...we got married. About a month ago. We're not in the same chain of command anymore, so...we didn't have to break any rules or anything..."

She didn't have anything more to say, and Jack inhaled slowly. "I have a confession to make."

"Oh?" She asked, looking back at him.

He nodded. "I resigned once..."

"What?" She asked, surprised. "Before you got into the program?"

"Nope."

"I don't remember..."

"It was during that...time-loop thing."

"Oh." She said, softly.

He offered a faint smile. "That crazy thing, Daniel was asking me about?"

"That wouldn't tell us about?" She laughed. "What about it?"

"I turned in my resignation and kissed the hell out of you."

She grinned before she sobered. "I wish I remembered that..."

"A cemetery probably isn't the best place to recreate it, so when we get home, I'll kiss you, okay? We'll pretend it's spontaneous."

She laughed softly. "Sounds like a good idea."

They were silent for a few more moments before Jack looked over at her. "You ready?"

"Not yet." She admitted.

She didn't have to tell him that she didn't know how long it would be before she returned and was able to do this again, and the truth was that she didn't want to admit that to herself even. She'd seen the Ori blow the _Korolev_ to pieces firsthand. The _Prometheus _had also been destroyed.

She probably knew more than her husband how vulnerable the _George Hammond_ could be if under continuous fire. Even with the Asgard core.

"It wasn't this hard before," she murmured, pensively.

"What?"

"Leaving."

"You didn't have as much to stay for," he said, matter-of-factly.

She turned a melancholy attempt at a smile toward him, and he threaded his arms around her waist as she did the same around his neck, closing the gap between them as he held her tightly in his arms.

"You'll come back," he murmured in her ear.

"How do you know?"

"Because you've never disobeyed an order from me before, and I don't remember rescinding the order to "not die"."

She blinked away tears as a faint smile played with her lips. "We've gotten lucky a few times, Jack. You can't expect..."

"Yes." He interrupted, pulling back to look in her tear-filled eyes again. "I can."

She swallowed as she nodded, like she had under his command. "Yes, sir."

He pulled her close again, kissing the top of her head as he did so. "If you only remember one thing, Sam...I want you to remember how much I love you."

"Do you remember the time on Atlantis when we lost contact with Earth, and I sent that mission report through and told you about the illness that had spread through the Earth-born personnel?" She asked, pulling away as she wiped at her eyes.

"Yeah?"

She inhaled. "I forgot a lot of things when I got sick, but...you...I never forgot you. The sense of safety and security I feel in your arms. The love and adoration I see in your eyes when you look at me." She swallowed. "Just like you could remember feeling feelings when we were Jonah and Thera, I'll never forget how much I love you. Or how much I know you love me."

"Good." He said, softly. He tugged at her hand, gently. "Let's go home."

She nodded as the tears dried on her face. "Yeah. Let's go home."


	28. Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

"We're receiving video feed from the SGC, ma'am."

Sam stood on the bridge of the George Hammond, nodding to her communications officer. "Go ahead."

"Colonel Carter!"

Jack's face lit up the screen, and she smiled as she looked at her husband. "General O'Neill. It's good to hear your voice."

They hadn't seen even video of one another in nearly three months while she ferried scientists and supplies for Dr. Rush's project from Earth to the project site.

"And yours." He admitted.

"What can we do for you?"

"I need you standing by. Rush has this...candidate for the program..."

"Someone figured out the Ancient puzzle in the video game?" She asked with an amused smile. It had been an...original...delivery system.

He nodded. "I'm tagging along, but if we run into problems, we'll need you to beam him aboard."

"Will do." She said, nodding.

"Well than...I guess...this is O'Neill out..."

She nodded as the video feed cut out.

She kind of hoped she would need to beam the young scientist, Dr. Rush, and her husband aboard. Even just to stand next to him and smell his aftershave would be enough to last her a lifetime at this point. Or at least until the next time that the George Hammond had to go in for a maintenance check and she got a few weeks off...

-

"Colonel Carter, this is General O'Neill." The sound came through on the satellite connection.

"Open a channel." She said, looking over at her communications officer.

"You have a channel." He said a few moments later.

"General, this is Colonel Carter." She answered.

"Beam me up, Scotty."

She grinned and nodded to the transportation and weapons officer. "Go ahead."

Within a moment, Dr. Rush and Jack O'Neill appeared on the bridge. "Welcome aboard, gentlemen." She said with a small smile. She looked at Dr. Rush. "We'll beam your scientist to the engine room, and you can take him from there."

"Thank you, Colonel Carter." The man said, nodding in gratitude before he left the bridge.

"Carter, you look well."

"So do you," she said with a small smile. "I was about to get something to eat in the mess." She said, motioning to the corridor.

"Got cake?"

She smiled. "We might be able to scrounge something up..."

They walked sedately down the corridor, and she looked over at him with a sidelong glance. If they weren't meeting in their official capacities, she would probably invite him into her quarters, and not let him leave until the Pentagon called for his immediate release.

"What?" He asked, noticing her glance.

"Nothing." She said, shaking her head. She looked forward again. "Missed you."

"Backatcha." He said, allowing his hand to brush her arm gently.

She smiled softly at the tenderness of the gesture.

"Got any leave coming up?"

"Not until the Hammond needs repairs." She said with an apologetic smile. "And I've been taking really good care of her."

"I can wait." He said, looking back at her. "Right now, you're still alive and in one piece. That's all that really matters."

They fell into companionable silence again as she twisted her engagement and wedding rings, now permanently stationed on her hand, nervously.

"Something wrong?" He asked, looking up over at her.

She looked back at him as they entered the elevator. She pressed the button for the level of the mess, and sighed as the doors closed, allowing them the privacy that she wanted to broach the subject.

"General Landry sent me a video transmission a few days ago."

"And?"

"My retirement has been denied."

He was silent for a few moments. "We knew that would be a possibility."

"Yes, but..."

He placed his finger on her lips to quiet her. "We'll figure something out, Sam. We always have."

She nodded. "Yes, we have."

He pulled away just as the doors opened, and she motioned to the corridor. "After you..."'

"Ladies first." He said, shaking his head.

She smiled softly as she finally took a step into the hallway.

"Coffee and cake." Sam said, pointing to the small cafeteria style mess-hall.

"Excellent." He said with a grin.

She smiled, appreciatively. "It's for our...special visitors..." She teased.

"Maybe I should come on board more often," he winked. "Get you more cake."

She laughed, though the laugh hid her inner regret that she had spent more of her marriage away from her husband than with him.

"What?" He asked, getting a plate of cake.

"It's nice to see you." She said, softly.

He studied her closely, and she hoped that he wouldn't see the regret in her eyes. It was a foolish hope, she knew. He could read her more easily than even she could read herself. He patted her hand gently as they sat down at the table. "It's not going to last forever," he murmured sotto voce.

"I know." She said, managing a faint half-smile. "Still, I can't help but wonder how backwards it is for me to have spent so much more time away from my husband than with him..."

"But how many years did you spend every waking minute with him?" He asked with a small wink.

A sad smile crossed her face. "We should have done this years ago..."

"Ride on a space ship?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She chuckled mirthlessly as she shook her head. "No. I meant..."

"I know what you meant." He said, soberly. "It will work out. I'll come up with a plan B and let you know."

"I look forward to it." She smiled. "Your plan B's are always first-rate."

He looked at her as she took the first bite of her cake. Finally, he reached for her hand. "C'mon."

"What are we doing?" She asked, confused.

"Surprise."

They left their plates and cups on the table, and he seemed to search for something down the corridor. Finally, he paused in front of a supply lock-up. He grinned as he quickly unlocked the door. "After you..."

"What...?" She asked, her brow furrowing.

"Just get in.."

She stepped inside, and he closed the door. Almost instantly, his hands were on her face as he kissed her lips tenderly.

"Jack..." She murmured, her voice muffled against his lips, as she melted in his arms.

"Sh." He said, kissing her again. "I haven't gotten to see you." He kissed her forehead. "Smell you." He kissed her eyelid. "Feel you." He kissed the other eyelid. "Touch you." He kissed her nose.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she returned the desperate kisses with some of her own. Her senses were on fire, and she felt like she was finally whole again. She felt like she was fifteen, making out in a closet as she tried to hide from her home room teacher. Roaming hands reminded her that she was alive, put each and every one of her nerves at attention.

"What have you done to me?" She asked, breathlessly, a several minutes later as she wiped her lips and began straightening her ponytail. "I'm on duty and making out with someone from the Pentagon."

He laughed, trying to catch his own breath. "I guess we were acting like a couple of teenagers."

She used her thumb to affectionately wipe her lipstick from his lips. "As long as it's with you," she began with a small smile. "I'm okay with that."

"Colonel Carter to the bridge. Colonel Carter to the bridge."

Her face fell as she looked up at him. "Duty calls..." She murmured.

"Yes, it does."

"Do I look...put together?"

He gently zipped up her jumpsuit and touched her chin in an affectionate caress. "Yeah. How about me?"

"Well, you're in dress blues...harder to keep those wrinkle-free." She teased.

He laughed.

"You look fine."

"Give me a few minutes..." He said as she turned to leave. "Gotta keep your reputation clean."

She nodded slowly. "See you on the bridge in a few."

"Wild horses, Sam." He said with a soft smile.

"Undomesticated equines," she said, returning it affectionately, as she slipped out the door.


	29. Kidnapping

Sam looked at her watch somewhat worriedly before she looked over at her crew. "ETA?"

"Three hours." The technician announced from where she sat on the bridge of the George Hammond.

"Okay." Sam said, nodding.

"Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"

Sam turned. "Of course."

"Why are you so nervous? I mean, we're just making a scheduled maintenance check-in on Earth."

Sam smiled softly. "Well, we have some leave while the engineers at Area 51 do the annual maintenance check."

"And?"

"It's my husband's birthday this weekend." She grinned. "And I have plans to kidnap him, take him up to a cabin in Minnesota, and keep him fishing in a lake with no fish."

"He's going to go running back to work after a weekend like that," the Sergeant chuckled.

"You don't know my husband," Sam grinned. "This…this would be a perfect weekend for him."

"I guess "to each his own", ma'am."

"Exactly." Sam smiled. She looked at her watch again. "Or at least, it could be perfect if I could get there in time to figure out how to make a chocolate raspberry cake…"

She got blank stares from the crew on the bridge, and she chuckled to herself. "Never mind. I'll just buy one if I need to…"

-

She walked into the engine room a few minutes later.

"Colonel!" The technicians announced as they jumped to attention.

"At ease." She smiled. "I have a favor to ask, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"General O'Neill has requested transport." She revealed the crystal she held in her hands. "Now, I have written a program that will lock onto his locator beacon and beam him up to the engine room before dropping him off at the coordinates he sent me."

"You're not going to be here, ma'am?"

"No," Sam said, shaking her head. "That was the other part of the favor. There's another program on the crystal with the coordinates I would like you to beam me to when I give the signal. The program is on a timer, so once you start it, you shouldn't need to think about it again. Just let it do its thing."

"If I may be so bold, ma'am…" The lieutenant said, looking over at her.

Sam smiled as she answered the unasked question. "I'm meeting my husband for his birthday."

"Oh." The lieutenant said with a chuckle.

She smiled. "Major Peterson is going to be in command after I leave until you touch down in Nevada. Then, you'll all get some well-deserved leave."

"Can't complain then." The lieutenant smiled.

-

"Lieutenant, I thought I had a meeting with the President at 12:30." Jack complained, walking into his office.

"I'm sorry, sir, I tried to reach you on your cell, but the President's secretary called as you left. He's out of the country. Something about the Russians..."

He sighed. "So...what's next on the agenda?"

"Uh...a meeting with a representative from Stargate Command. Takes the rest of the day."

He raised his brow in surprise. "What? Who?"

"I'm not sure, sir." She said with a shrug. "But they assured they would provide the transportation."

"Okay...what's the meeting ab..." He was enveloped by an Asgard beam, arriving in the engine room, somewhat disoriented. "...out...What's go..."

He was beamed again, and found himself in the warm and inviting atmosphere of the cabin. "...ing on?" He did a double take as he looked around the room with a critical eye.

"Happy birthday, Jack," a familiar, feminine voice murmured from behind him.

He whipped around to find his wife, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with her long blond hair flowing over her shoulders.

"Lemme guess..." He said with a grin. "You're the representative from Stargate Command..."

She smiled widely. "Got a problem with that?"

"Uh...no..." He said, still somewhat surprised.

"Didn't think it would be..."

"What are you do..."

"The Hammond is going in for some upgrades and I have six weeks of leave." She said with a small smile. "Surprise you?"

"Oh yeah." He said with a laugh. "How'd you do it?"

"Come on, Jack, a girl's gotta have at least a couple of secrets to keep her mysterious..."

"You plotted this with Lieutenant Johnson, didn't you?"

She grinned.

He shook his head with a chuckle. "That's the last time I sign anything that girl gives me without looking at it first."

She laughed softly. "Yep. You requested three days of leave and signed a rental agreement for the truck out there."

"Nice."

"You also cancelled your meeting with the President and approved my request to leave the Hammond in Major Peterson's hands while I was beamed to home in time to celebrate my husband's birthday with him."

"Aparently, I was a busy man."

She grinned as he leaned in to kiss her.

A timer rang, and Sam turned back to look at the kitchen instead of returning the kiss. "Hold that thought..."

"What's that for?" He asked, confused.

"That's another surprise." She winked.

"You like this whole "having the upper hand thing" entirely too much." He said, shaking his head as he followed her.

She giggled as she looked back at him. "What? Got a problem with my surprises?"

"Well, not yet, but...it's that glint in your eye. You're WAY too excited about all of this."

"It's been a LONG few months, General." She murmured, huskily. "And I've been AWFULLY alone..."

He coughed as she turned back to the oven. She opened the door, and pulled out the cake she'd worked on. "It has to cool before I can frost..."

His arms snaked around her waist as she put the cake on the stovetop. He kissed the tender flesh in the crook of her neck before nibbling gently on her ear.

"Jack..." She giggled as a shiver ran up her spine.

"You said it had to cool, right?" He murmured.

"Yes, but..."

"Then we've got time."

She turned around with an affectionate grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh?" She asked, offering him a peck on the lips before she looked back at him. "For what? Fishing?"

"You brought me up here for FISHING when I haven't seen you in six months?"

"I thought you liked fishing." She teased with a wide grin.

"I like you more."

"Oh really?" She asked with playful skepticism. "I thought you said that the bass here were..." She extended her arms full-length. "THIS big..."

"That was ten years ago, Sam."

She raised an eyebrow.

"They're bigger now." He winked.

She laughed.

"Besides...cake is overrated..."

"Oh, really?" She asked with a skeptical eye. "I thought cake in bed with me was the closest thing to heaven you'd ever experienced before..."

"Yeah, but that was...special cake."

"Special cake." She said with an amused smile. "Like the chocolate cake I just made to go with my light raspberry coulis?"

"You know how to make coulis?"

"I know how to make a great many things I haven't shared with you yet," she teased.

"Yes, but you can't put frosting on the cake until after it cools." He said, seriously. "And you can't put the coulis on the cake until after it's been frosted, so..."

"So I should bide my time...fishing...with you..."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he nodded, eagerly.

She rolled her eyes, goodnaturedly. "How do I let you talk me into these things?"

He grinned. "Excellent," he crowed in his best Burns imitation.

"It's going to be a LONG three days," she teased as she walked toward the bedroom.

"Six weeks, darlin'..." He laughed, following her. "You'll be here for six weeks!"

"D'oh!"

-

_Look for Part III in this series called "Family" focused on the events that occur during this extended leave during which Sam spends her time in Washington with her new husband._


End file.
